Demons in the Mist
by Willibaldvonsomething
Summary: Zabuza was right. When he died, he didn't join Haku in Heaven. No, his hands were far too stained to ever be blessed with white wings, so it was no surprise when he awoke in the underworld as a devil. Now, years later with his better half by his side, he's ready to set out on a new path. To gather a peerage worth his time, and re-earn his title as the Demon of the Mist.
1. First Move I

There were few things Lord Gremory loved more in the world than having an afternoon to himself, playing a relaxing game of chest against an imaginary opponent while enjoying a fresh cup of tea. Life was good. Three sided war non-withstanding.

"Master Gremory. You have a visitor."

Well there goes my good day. Lord Gremory sighed to himself as turned to face the non-descript maid who drew the short straw of intruding on her master's peace time. Still, the red-haired Lord smiled. "Thank you Cecil, please invite them in."

Cecil gave a short bow before leaving, closing the door behind her. Gremory took the time to reset the chest board, putting the pieces back in Might as well enjoy a game while we discuss...

The middle aged devil leaned back as he waited, taking one last minute to enjoy the silence before being dragged back into the politics and family relations that have taken over modern devil society. It's probably the Phenex boy trying to move up the date of the marriage.. again.. _I'll have to talk to Sirzech to find some way to shut the pup up and wait.._

Another knock on the door of his study brought Gremory back to reality. "Come in Cecil."

"Of course sir." Came the muffled response as the heavy oak doors swung open. With his back to the door, Gremory couldn't yet see the intruder, but he could hear one more set of footsteps than he expected.

_So it's not Phenex, or he's taken to dragging one of his harem with him at all times.._ Gremory wiped that thought away, knowing Riser, he'd bring his entire harem instead of just one. Even if it was official business.

Once the footsteps came to a rest, Gremory stood up, he didn't want to leave his padded crimson chair, but he couldn't be rude. If they were unimportant devils, Cecil or any of his other maids would have simply turned them away, or at best scheduled an appointment.

So when he turned to find a pale-skinned youth staring him down, it only took a brief second to click in the old devil's head exactly who he was talking to. The woman by his side was an even greater hint. The edges of his forced smile smoothing out slightly, into a genuine one.

"My, oh my. The young heir of the Gaap's, and his lovely queen. This is a surprise. Please, please. Have a seat, would you like some tea and snacks while we chat?"

The young man simply nodded, his expression hidden by the white scarf loosely wrapped around his mouth and neck, while his companion beamed back, choosing to speak for the both of them.

"Thank you Lord Gremory, that would be delightful. We do hope this doesn't take to long though. We are aware how little time a devil of your status has for leisure, and neither of us wish to intrude any longer than absolutely necessary."

The young woman bowed at her waist, the bound tips of her hair brushing against her light pink kimono, before the pair took their place across from Lord Gremory on a crimson couch. The teenage boy sparing the chessboard a quick glance before his gaze settled back on his host.

Gremory took his seat with a wave of his hand, as if dismissing the lady's apologies. "Think nothing of it. In fact, you are doing me a great service by visiting me today. Simply play a quick game of chess before you leave, and I will consider this a splendid addition to my otherwise boring day."

The young man nodded, but choose not to speak, leaving his companion to pick up the slack. "Again, thank you Lord Gremory."

"Now, tea. My son recently sent me a package of french vanilla that he swears by, along with the usual selection. We also have an assortment of baked goods that would go well with it all."

"Lord Gremory, you are spoiling us. Simple green tea shall do for the both of us, thank you." The girl said with a suppressed giggle. Cecil nodded at the order, and left the room to the three devils.

"So, my curiosity has been peaked. The heir to the Gaap Clan comes to me out of the middle of nowhere, asking for an audience. I'm going to guess this isn't a social visit, since our families while not enemies are by no means close, nor do I believe we have ever had the pleasure of each others company before. So please, young Zabuza. Tell me, whatever can I do for you."

Zabuza simply shrugged as he leaned back on the couch, raising an arm to drape over his companion's shoulder. "A favor, a business deal, transaction, whatever you wish to call it. I've heard of the school you own, so what you can do for me is list the price of admission for two. Haku and I wish to enroll. Aside from that, I have nothing else to discuss."

Haku gave Zabuza a light backhanded smack to the chest. "Now Zabuza, don't be rude." Turning her head, Haku gave Lord Gremory a shy smile. "Apologies. Zabuza can be rather blunt. But he doesn't mean to offend."

Gremory for his part took it with a smile as he nodded. Getting these two a place would be child's play.. And he's already demonstrated his potential in the past.. could be a chance for Rias to make some important allies..

"No worries Miss Haku. I am well aware of your King's reputation. But may I ask why you wish to journey to the human world as students?" The elder devil asked, raising an eyebrow as he saw Haku's cheeks light up in a small blush.

"Well.. um."

"Haku wanted to see what it'd be like to have a normal life for a while. And I am willing to give it to her. Besides, young minds are easier to mold, and the extra energy can be put towards training." Zabuza spoke up as Cecil entered the study with a tray in hand.

The conversation settled for a few short minutes as tea was poured and snacks served, giving Lord Gremory time to think._ Well, it's not like I see any cons to this arrangement. Some might say I'm showing favoritism, but really, it's just a young heir asking to go to school..._

Gremory gave Zabuza and Haku another quick look over, noticing how the boy's eyes seemed to be picking him apart. Yes, if I know my little girl, she'll be able to get an alliance out of him. Gremory hid a smile. Or at best, he may join her peerage..

"Well, by price of admission, I'm assuming you'd come to bribe me?"

"If that's what's needed. Money is no issue." Zabuza said as he leaned back, letting his tea cool down. Not that he had any intentions of touching it anyways. Haku was discreetly checking for poison or other additives, while his attention was stuck on their host.

One lifetime of relative peace wasn't going to outweigh another life of caution and blood. Especially when they were going to be thrown against devils, and angels, fallen or not.

"In that case, your price of admission is the game of chess I was promised earlier. I'm sure your clan will figure out living arrangements." Another nod and a smile from the pair, or more specifically a smile from Haku and what appeared to be a stoic frown from Zabuza, let Gremory know to continue. "Give me a week, and you'll be perfectly set up."

"Thank you Lord Gremory, are you sure there isn't anything else we could do? Like we said, money is not an obstacle." Haku spoke up again, only to have her concerns waved away.

"No, no, no. Who am I to deny young ones such as yourselves a proper education? Now, how bout that game of chess?"

* * *

Lord Gremory looked over the chessboard, the games still fresh in his memory, seeing as both opponents had left ten minutes prior. He was glad to be alone, it gave him time to think and mull over the game. In his long life, Lord Gremory had learned that one of the best ways to judge a person's character was a game of chess.

How they played, were they aggressive? Did they take their time to think their moves out? What pieces did they seem to value? Did they focus solely on the game, or did they welcome the conversation and distractions? How did they react to victory? How did they react to defeat?

Haku was easy enough to read, and a breath of fresh air against some of his regular opponents. She was happy to gossip, and simply enjoy the game, but her keen intellect showed through as she directed the conversation around as they played, almost using it as a distraction, picking topics he was passionate about to blind side his attention.

For every mistake he made, Haku was sure to capitalize on with that same sweet smile. _And the worst part is, I don't think she was faking it._

The girl even took defeat with grace, lacking the enforced stiffness of those only pretending for the sake of politeness. The girl's words came back to him. "Thank you for the game Lord Gremory. I will take this as a learning experience, and I hope that in the future we'll have a chance to see if I improve."

Nice girl. It was the boy, he was worried about. He is the deciding factor. The Gaap heir could be a great ally or a terrible enemy. During the entire visit, Zabuza had said less than an a dozen full sentences, replying mostly with grunts, shrugs or simply letting Haku speak for himself as he simply observed.

If the girl wore a mask of open kindness, Zabuza's mask was blank as a white oval. _Didn't help I couldn't see half of his expression._ Lord Gremory took a moment to consider if that's why the boy wore that scarf… before passing it off as something to determine later.

No, he had more important things to worry about as he finished his cup of tea. The boy was an unknown aside from his reputation. Specifically how violent he'd get to defend his queen. _Wonder if he's inherited the abilities of the Gaap's.. alas, time shall tell._

Lord Gremory flicked his king piece over with a fond gentleness before standing up. He needed to take a walk and enjoy some fresh air before he lost track of time in his small study. Two wins. One earned with pride from a beautiful young lady, and another simply taken by a boy in a mask not caring if the game was won or lost.

**An: Yo. Just a few things, I'm still debating on a few things. But just to clarify. This will be a ZabuzaxFem!Haku fic. Why am I throwing Zabuza into Highschool DxD some of you ask? Cause I'm bored with seeing just Naruto. Naruto's boring. We've seen the stuff he'll do (rasengan, kyuubi, sage jutsu, yaada yaada, yaada) Hell, I'd be interested in seeing other characters. Let's see some fics with Gaara as the main character, or the damn Akatsuki as a full peerage (that one sounds awesome just by itself. Pain as King, Konan as queen. Someone get on that, cause I'd sure as hell be interested in reading that.)**

**Anyways, I might make a poll or something later with a list of possible candidates to include in Zabuza's harem (if I, or you {the readers} want Zabuza to have a Harem) Aside from that, I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you all later.**


	2. Second Move I

"Well, Zabuza, what do you think?" Haku asked as the pair continued their observation of the boy with the weird power inside of him.

"Hell will freeze over before I willingly waste a even single pawn on him." Zabuza ground out. He didn't care what his gut was telling him about the kid's potential, he had a nearly a full days worth of observation in the back of his head screaming one word. Pervert.

Zabuza would sooner eat his own scarf raw than put the brat in a position with extended exposure to Haku. _Cause either way, he'd get himself killed_. And frankly, it was bad etiquette and a waste of time to kill one of your own pawn.

"Ah, someone is approaching the target." Haku whispered to her master from their hiding place behind a tree. A simple illusion spell and no one could even tell the tree seemed to have gained some odd-shaped growths on the side.

"Haku, am I seeing this right?"

"Yes."

"What does a fallen angel want with the pervert?" Zabuza mused, as the girl confessed to the brat. Something was up, he just didn't know what. Yet.

"Haku, follow the target at a distance and see if you can find their base of operation. Disengage at the first sign of detection. Right now -we- are the unknowns, and I plan on keeping it that way."

"Understood, Zabuza." Haku nodded before leaning over to give the taller man a kiss on the cheek. "If they have any sense, I won't be back in time to help with dinner, so I hope you don't mind waiting."

Zabuza just grunted, drawing out a small giggle from his female companion. "Not the time Haku, we are on the job."

"Hai, hai~" Haku grinned as she disappeared in puff of smoke to track down her target. Apparently Issei-kun had a date tomorrow.

_Wonder if Zabuza would agree to a date some time this week?_ She thought as she cast another illusion spell over herself to blend into the crowd with her target insight.

_Well, we could have date night tonight.._ Haku smirked. That seemed like a good plan in her mind. After all they hadn't had one in the past week, so why wait any longer?

* * *

Zabuza slowly shook his head once Haku was gone. That girl was going to be the death of him one day with the damn teasing. _Well, just be glad you have the chance to be teased._ The swordsman reminded himself before dispelling the illusion spell, stepping back onto the road.

He flipped through his music player as he walked the crowded streets. One of most fascinating things he found in the human world was amount of music available, even if it had originally been foisted upon him by his queen. There was the purely instrumental songs that brought back memories of his past life, then there was everything else. A nearly infinite selection of genres.

It took him a minute, but eventually Zabuza settled on a song, nodding along quietly as he blended into the mob. This was the start, the first step towards realizing his dream.

* * *

"Settle down, settle down." The teacher called out as he walked in to take roll call, and if the rumors were true introduce the transfer students. But to Issei it was all icing on the cake. He was one the first step of his path to having a harem. Or specifically, he had his first date later tonight.

Issei gave the typical 'Here' when his name was listed off, as his brain went to work planning out his date, only to be dragged out by Matsuda constantly poking his side.

"What?" Issei whispered as he glared at his fellow pervert for disturbing his thoughts of Yuuma and his great first date.

Matsuda didn't say a word, he simply pointed towards the front of the glass room with a goofy smile on his face.

Once Issei turned his head he could see why. Ignoring the six-foot tall, pale skinned gorilla with the scarf around his face, there was an angel in his classroom. One with pure white skin, long black hair that framed her face, warm dark-brown eyes and a smile that seemed to be aimed directly at him.

_Issei, you lucky bastard. It seems your luck is finally changing._

* * *

"Good morning everyone. My name is Yuki Haku. It is a pleasure to meet you. I enjoy romance novels, cooking and arts and crafts. I look forward to getting to know all of you, and enjoying our time together as friends." Haku bowed slightly after her introduction, giving time for Zabuza to roll his eyes at the greeting.

"Thank you Miss Yuki. It is nice to have you here as well, and now Mr.." The teacher looked down at his notes. Not to avoid the gaze of the large teenager before him, oh no. He'd been a teacher for years, and he'd dealt with enough delinquents, female or male that few of them had the chance to scare him. Still, the eyes on this one were enough to raise the caution flags. "Momochi."

"Zabuza Momochi. Likes. None of you. Dislikes. All of you. Dreams for the future. None of your business. I don't want to be your friend, so leave me alone, or I will make you leave me alone." Zabuza said in a dull monotone, like a child reading from a script. He was here for Haku, so long as she had fun, his school life was unimportant.

"Ah.. that was.. informative. Now Mr. Momochi, I do have to remind you of the school dress code, and ask you to please remove your scarf."

Zabuza raised an eyebrow at the teacher. "And if I say no?"

"Then you'll have to stay after class. You wouldn't want that on your first day, now would you?" The teacher threatened back, getting only a snort from the taller teen.

"Better men than you have tried Teach. Now shut up and tell us where we are sitting."

"Fine Mr. Momochi. For that you will be staying after school to clean up. As for your seating. You and Miss Yuki will be in the back of the class. Since you don't have text-" The teacher started only to be interrupted by Motohama's hand shooting into air.

"Sensei! Haku can borrow my text book for today!"

"Oh.." The teacher felt a sweat drop appear, as even he could see through the boys intentions. "That is rather generous of you Motohama. Now would anyone be willing to lend Zabuza a text-book."

To his surprise roughly five hands went up. _Oh you poor young girls._ The teacher thought with a shake of his head._ Thinking a bad boys the guy for you. I foresee a few broken hearts in the future._ "Well, how bout-"

"I'll share with Zabuza, Sensei." Haku spoke up beside him with a smile on her young face.

_Oh sweet lord._ The teacher sighed in defeat. "Alright Miss Yuki. Please take Motohama's text-book, and take your seat. We've wasted enough time as it is."

* * *

"So, Motohama. Report." Issei asked as he took his seat for lunch, and the daily meeting of the Perverted Trio. The topic of today's meeting? The three sizes of the beautiful new transfer student, and complaining about the sudden popularity of the dusk skinned gorilla that came with her.

"B85-H55-W82 cm." Motohama pushed up his glasses as he listed off his measurements with pride.

Matsuda nodded as he stroked his chin, deep in thought. "Not too busty, and for her size it works. Any ideas on what the colour of her panties and underwear?"

"White." Issei spoke up with finality. "An angel such as her would wear only white."

* * *

"Che. Perverted men should just die." Muruyama muttered under her breath as she munched on her sandwich. "Specifically those three idiots."

"Now, now. Boys will be boys Muruyama." Haku spoke up as she played with the food in her bento. Leftover beef stir fry from last night, along with rice balls and a few mini dango for desert. _Zabuza spoils me._ She thought with a small blush, thankful the school uniform had a collar to help hide the red marks running along her neck. In retrospect, she should have worn a turtleneck today.

"Please tell me you aren't defending their behavior, Haku. I know you are new here and don't want to make any enemies, but still. You don't have to be nice to those damn ero-monkeys." Katase warned as she began to pack away what remained of her lunch for after Kendo practice.

"Oh it's not that. I just find it kind of cute. Like a puppy that made a mess and still expects to get a treat." Haku popped a dango into her mouth, making a note to reward Zabuza later tonight for getting up early to buy them from the specialty shop.

"Pfft. A pet like that should be spade and neutered with prejudice." Katase snorted at the thought, getting a nod from Muruyama.

"Or simply thrown in the trash where they belong." Zabuza said as he placed his chair beside Haku to the shock of the other two girls. Their shock grew as the delinquent handed Haku a can of lemonade, only to receive a kiss on the cheek in return.

"Haku." The teenage swordsman warned.

"Zabuza." Haku teased back as her companion opened his lunch. "They are friends. You can open up a bit around them."

Zabuza looked over the stunned faces of Katase and Muruyama with a small grunt. "You've known them for half a day, if that." His answer got him a light smack to his chest as his chopsticks dove into Haku's bento box, swiping the cooked carrots and peppers, trading it for some of his beef.

"Eat. You're looking too thin lately." He commanded before starting himself, tuning out the conversation of the ladies to listen to the perverted trio, and keep a tally of exactly how many times they'd have to die to sooth his blood lust.

"So.. um.. how do you two know each other?" Muruyama asked as she looked over teen across from her. The academy uniform doing little to hide his muscular physique. The spiky black hair and constant scarf certainly gave him the appearance of a thug. Wait.. how is he even eating?

"Zabuza and I are partners." Haku answered with a bright smile on her face, to a blinking Katase, while Muruyama kept an eye on Zabuza. His food was held in the chopsticks one moment, then next it'd be gone and Zabuza's jaw could be seen moving.

_What?!_

Haku hid a grin at Muruyama's attempt to catch Zabuza in the act of eating. To this day she wasn't completely sure how he managed to make his food disappear.

"Partners.. as in boyfriend and girlfriend?" Katase spoke cautiously, not knowing what the reaction to the question would be. Though she knew a few girls would pay an arm and a leg for this kind of information. He'd only been here for a few short hours, but the rumor mill had already spun a tale of forbidden love between the school's prince Yuuto Kiba and the mysterious transfer Zabuza Momochi.

Some say they were childhood friends, separated in a tragic move, only to be reunited through the power of love and fate. Others claimed them to be a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet in life. The number of different theories and stories grew by the hour, to the point even Katase couldn't keep half of the tales straight in her head. There was one constant though. It was a general agreement that in the love between Yuuto and Zabuza, Zabuza was the top.

"Yes. Yes we are."

"Oh. Well then." Katase sighed. _Guess I got the job of crushing everyone's dreams…_

Haku nodded as the conversation lulled, allowing her to finish her lunch. Even the beef._ Chicken is still better in stir fry_… She thought as she remembered the small argument the pair had last night as they discussed the differences between beef and chicken stir fry. Sadly, she lost that night. _L__east it's not rabbit._ The one meat Haku would eat in only the most dire circumstances.

* * *

"Today was fun."

Zabuza just snorted. To him it was like the academy all over again. Just worse. At least in the academy they taught something important, how to survive, instead of algebra and calculus. The former mist ninja saw a lot of cheating in his future. Specifically copying Haku's work.

"Oh don't be like that. You had fun too." Haku grinned as she slipped off her school slippers. Frankly the whole practice confused her, but she put it down to cultural differences.

"Excuse me, are you two Zabuza Momochi and Haku Yuki?"

_Great.._ Zabuza turned to find himself looking down on some blonde haired pretty boy. "And if we are?"

"Ah, I was sent here by my Club President to see if you had time for a chat."

"Not interested." Zabuza waved the boy off as he stepped around him, not sparing the kid a second glance. Devil or not.

"Please? It'll only take a moment. Miss Gremory really wishes to welcome you to the school."

That stopped Haku in her tracks. "Zabuza, why don't I start dinner tonight, while you talk to the Gremory Heir?"

Zabuza glared at Haku, not liking what she was asking him to do. They had each others back after all. "Are you sure you can handle it by yourself?"

Haku nodded with a reassuring smile, leaving Zabuza to only sigh. "Fine. Just be careful. I don't know how sharp that new knife is, and I don't want you getting injured."

The blonde whispered a quiet "Thank you" to Haku who only smiled back.

"Alright fuck boy. Let's go talk to your master before I change my mind." Zabuza said as he took off towards the old school building. It had the largest concentration of demonic power nearby, aside from a building inside that belonged to the student council. He might be incorrect and heading off in the wrong direction but screw it. _They are wasting my time, might as well waste some of theirs._

"Is he always like this?" The blonde boy asked, getting only a smile out of Haku.

"Oh, he's just getting used to the idea of a school where everyone isn't trying to kill each other." Haku said with a giggle, to the alarm of the blonde boy, before he remembered it was his job to show him the way.

"Thank you by the way!" The boy called back as he ran to catch up with Zabuza. Haku simply waved as the boy left.

_Poor, poor Zabuza._ Haku giggled, knowing she threw him to the wolves. But she could worry about that later. Today she had a fallen angel to follow and a date to oversee.

**AN: Yo, chapter dos. Haku and Zabuza haven't even had a full day at school and they are already ninja'ing things up. Next up to come, Zabuza meeting the Occult Research Club and more. Remember, there is a poll up on my profile for possible love interests for Zabuza and Haku, so don't forget to vote so I can take your opinions into consideration. Or leave a review, that also helps. (And for those of you saying that Zabuza really wouldn't want a harem since he has Haku, do not worry, I am taking that entirely into account for the voting and writing as well.)**

**On an interesting side note, as I was looking through the Highschool DxD wiki and the Naruto one, I found a rather interesting comparison. Asia and Haku are basically the same height, and weight, only off by Haku being a hair taller and a smug lighter. So I thought why not give them similar sizes for their chest, waists, hips and such. That's in case anyone was wondering. And while some may call that lazy writing, I call it efficiency.**

** Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter, I'll see you around next time~**


	3. Third Move I

"So, how are you finding the school so far?" The blond boy asked.

"Educational." Was the only reply that Zabuza was willing to give that sounded remotely polite. _This was supposed to be Haku's job_. She was better with people, and had that soft smile that could melt hearts of stone, ice and diamond.

But no, here he was slowly walking behind the blonde kid for an impromptu tour of the school grounds as he attempted to make conversation.

"That's good. A solid education among friends is one of the greatest things in the world."

_Right behind a Chidori to the chest_. Thought Zabuza as he remembered his last run through the education system, specifically the small mountain of corpses he left as his entrance exam. So to the blonde kid he just gave a noncommittal grunt.

"We have a plethora of clubs and sports here, any of those interest you?"

"Haku made friends with some of the Kendo club. I might swing by there every so often for a bit of practice."

"Really now? I didn't peg you for the swordsman type." _Oh how wrong you are_. Zabuza thought with a hidden smile before the shorter boy continued. "I'm a bit of an amateur swordsman myself. Maybe one day we can have a spar, give each other a few tips? What do you say?"

Zabuza shrugged again, but filed the information away for later. A few minutes of silence later, after the boy realized that any attempts at a conversation would be met with some form of grunt or one word answer, they arrived at the old school building, or specifically the Occult Research Clubroom.

"After you." The blonde boy said, holding the door open for Zabuza, who brushed past him without a second glance.

Whatever expectations Zabuza had for meeting Lord Gremory's daughter were turned on his head. The man's study had reflected his personality almost to the last book. Where Lord Gremory's study was open, welcoming and bright, designed to lull a person into dropping their guard, his daughter went the opposite route.

The room was dusky, and almost oppressive with dim lighting, a pair of couches on opposite sides of a table. _The place even has a shower_.. Zabuza couldn't shake the feeling that he walked into a mafia safe house instead of a clubroom.

_Guess daddy owning the school has it's perks_. The masked devil thought as he took a quick glance at the other occupants of the room.

Picking out Lord Gremory's daughter was easy. Look for the blood red, crimson hair. Easy on the eyes at least. Zabuza thought with a snort as he gave the women sitting on the couch with a cup of tea in hand, a quick once over.

He wasn't looking forward to this meeting, especially with Haku running recon by herself. He trusted her with his life, but they were a two person cell and worked best when covering each other's back.

Still, the startling red hair that went down to her knees, hourglass figure and sapphire blue eyes with a tint of green was enough to grab his gaze. _Doubt she's a close range fighter with a chest like that… then again._ He knew the tales of Tsunade the Slug Princess. Breasts bigger than a man's head, yet could punch through a mountain like it was made of styrofoam.

He wrote it off as something to investigate later before moving on to the women standing behind her. Long black hair tied into a single ponytail held in place by an orange ribbon, an even larger chest that Rias, _What are they feeding these kids?_, black knee-high socks and a mischievous smile on her face.

None of that brought an immediate name to the front of his mind, so he simply nodded a greeting at the pair of them before Rias spoke up, interrupting his attempt to get a read on the last occupant of the room.

"Kiba! Just in time. And you must be Seb-" Rias started to speak as she set her cup down to properly greet Zabuza with a warm smile and a handshake.

"Zabuza."

"Ah, well it is nice of you to join us Zabuza." Rias ignored the interruption as if it never happened, holding out her hand as she simply went with the flow.

The spiky haired devil took it without hesitation, making sure to apply a bit of force. Not enough to hurt of course, but enough to remind her that he didn't come as a friend, he came as a possible enemy, driving her to take a second look.

Short, spiky black hair, pale olive skin that in the right light would look almost grey, cold brown eyes that seemed to weigh everything he saw before him like an accountant who only cared about the bottom line, and thin eyebrows that on anyone else would look out-of-place, but they seemed to suit him.

Of course that also lead to the natural curiosity, and a question many before her had asked themselves. _I wonder what he looks like without the scarf?_ Yes, the white scarf that he refused to take off that covered everything from his nose down.

"Oh the pleasure is all mine." Zabuza didn't even bother attempting to hide the sarcasm as he let go of Rias's hand.

"Well, I assume introductions are in order. I am Rias Gremory as you probably know. That is my Queen, Akeno Himejima." Rias gestured to the black-haired girl behind the couch, who bowed her head at the introduction.

_So that's the Priestess of Thunder… interesting._

"You've already met my knight, Yuuto Kiba." Rias's hand moved to point at the blonde boy that led him here. Zabuza took another peek through the corner of his vision. In his opinion the boy was a twig, but he wasn't something to be written off. Haku was a twig as well, but she was still the scarier half of the dynamic duo.

_The fact he looks like a pretty boy isn't help.. _Again, a criticism that could have been leveled at Haku multiple times in her life, current or past.

"And finally, the last member we have with us today is Koneko Toujou. My cute little rook." Rias stepped aside to allow Zabuza a glance at the white-haired midget on the couch next to where Rias previously sat, who seemed to be trying to stare him down.

Zabuza gave Akeno a small nod, before turning his attention back to Koneko. The little girl was giving him a look, one he'd seen before. It was a person who couldn't decide if they should approach something with caution, or simply stay away.

"What do you want Gremory? I'm a busy man, and I don't enjoy having my time wasted." Zabuza crossed his arms over his chest as he stood in place.

Rias lost her smile at being addressed by her clan's name. "I wanted to welcome you to the human world and explain a few rules for your stay. I'll keep this as brief as you want, Gaap."

_Oh, hit a nerve did I?_ Zabuza smirked under his scarf as he took a seat on the couch opposite to his hosts. "Good."

Rias took her seat as Kiba walked behind the couch to take his place next to Akeno, hands behind his back.

"Do you really need your peerage present in this meeting, Gremory? "

"They are my friends, and they are have just as much right to be here as anyone else." Rias shot back, keeping her tone level. "Besides, you wanted to keep this short, so why are you wasting time asking dumb questions?"

_Yep, definitely hit a nerve.._ Zabuza leaned back on the couch, spreading himself out as if he owned the room, instead of being a simple guest. His eyes scanned over the group, keeping an eye on them in the event of a trap. Call him paranoid, he didn't care. Paranoia had saved his life multiple times as a professional ninja, and even more as a missing-nin.

_Do none of these girl's wear bra's though…?_ He had to ask himself. Zabuza's sexual urges were always kept on a short leash, but the fact he could identify exactly where the nipples on every female occupant in the room with just a quick glance was slightly uncomfortable.

Zabuza just shrugged at Rias's question, motioning her for to get this over with.

* * *

Half-way through the meeting Zabuza was starting to catch on that this wasn't just an informal meet and greet, with Rias playing the part of a kind host. The tip that gave it away? All of the rules, and suggestions she was giving him could have easily been written out on a pamphlet for him to read before class tomorrow.

_No.. this is them judging me.. Kami.._ Zabuza suppressed the shot of pain that ran through him at using God's name. _Damn it all.. where is Haku when I need her.._

Eventually he had enough though and he decided to interrupt. "Gremory. What do you want from me? I don't mean my attention, cause you lost that once you started talking about massacring Human's for fun, and how I'd have to keep those urges to myself if I had them. So. No bullshit. What. Do. You. Want. With. Me?"

Rias blinked before letting out a breath in a quiet sigh. "Zabuza, I have heard some rather.. distressing rumors about you.. and I wanted to see if they were true…"

_Going to have to be more specific than that.._ The underworld was a melting pot of politics, gossip and false truths. One of his favourites was how Haku was actually a boy who liked to wear female clothing. _Oh if only they knew how true that was._ Other's concerned his relationship with his family, and more importantly his blood line as a member of one of the 72 Pillars.

"And?" Zabuza prompted, waiting to see what rumor it would be this time. Probably just doesn't want me to kill a student for making a pass on Haku. And he would to. The only issue is that they'd never find the evidence needed to pin the blame on him. Motive? Absolutely. Anything else would disappear into the mists of time.

"I wanted to offer you protection."

_...Wait.. what?_ Zabuza just blinked at her, which she took as a cue to continue.

"I've heard that you lack.. well.. to put it bluntly, you haven't inherited the abilities of the Gaap Clan and that due to your father's refusal to take another wife after your mother's death…"

"I am the last heir to a clan one generation away from extinction." Zabuza finished for her, fighting back a laugh.

Rias simply nodded. "Yes, I've heard a lot about you. Since you asked for me to be blunt, I'll be blunt. You have no friends, you have no allies. While other young devils are out, trying to make a name for themselves, doing everything in their power to be recognized, you are a recluse, known for having spent the last six years entire in your estate. Your clan consists solely of you and your father. I don't know how hard it is to be in your position, personally. But I wish to help you."

"Guide a lost soul into paradise." Zabuza snorted at the thought, watching as Rias's smile gained a sad edge.

"Yes. You and Haku don't have to be alone. We'd be happy to have you as an ally or a friend."

Zabuza chuckled and threw his head back, not letting Rias or her peerage get a good look at his face as he struggled to hold in the laughter at the giant misunderstanding. _The damn women sees me as some lost and angsty school boy!_ It took him a minute to get himself under control, bringing his head back down to wipe away a small tear.

"Your offer is… generous.." Zabuza bit his lip again before continuing, making sure to throw a small undertone of regret in his voice for effect. "But I'll be declining. I may not have the advantages most of the Pillars do. But I plan on rising through my own strength and ability. Now.. if there is nothing else, I'll be leaving. I have.. important things to do."

Rias simply nodded, with a small look of regret on her face. "The offer is still open if you ever wish to change your mind." After all, she had a bishop, a rook and a knight piece left along with all eight pawns. She knew Issei was hiding something strong in him, but she highly doubted she'd have to pay more than a couple of pawns to get at it.

Zabuza shrugged before standing up, giving the group another quick look over before bowing his head. "It has been.. interesting meeting you all.. good day." He forced himself to be polite, he didn't want to ruin their assumptions just yet after all.

* * *

Once Zabuza was sure he was far enough away that none of Rias's peerage could hear him, nor was he being followed by a familiar, he started to laugh at the absurdity. He knew it. He just knew that those damn rumors would pay off.

_The greatest weapon in any war is information... _And if the rumors of his ineptitude had reached the point where some devils were going to him a helping hand, he couldn't be happier.

With that thought in mind, Zabuza reached into his pocket, taking out his cellphone, quickly punching in Haku's number. He wanted a status report, as well as her current location. _I'll even sweeten the deal and tell her about this joke of a meeting._

* * *

"What do you think?" Rias's questions was to noone in particular, but her peerage knew she wanted their opinion on the matter. "Kiba?"

"..." Kiba sighed, wondering how he'd explain the feeling he was getting in the pit of his stomach. "I am conflicted. From his physique and what little conversation I could get out of him on the way here, I'd say he'd probably hold his own in a brawl, and he apparently knows his way around a sword, but I can't say anything for certain."

"And his personality?"

Again, Kiba started with silence. "I don't know. He could be acting, but I don't see why. We are all on the same side.. so he could just be anti-social?" The blonde knight offered up, before Akeno choose to voice her opinion.

"He's wearing a mask, I just can't tell about what… He doesn't care for formality, that much is obvious but I don't know if the hostility is a defense mechanism or if he also doesn't care what people think of him… We simply don't know.. has Sona shown any interest in him?"

Rias shook her head at the mention of her best friend and rival. "No. She said she's content to observe as things come up. Something about not having enough solid evidence to make a proper judgement on."

Akeno hummed in approval at that. "I have to agree with her on that. Everything we know about him is either second-hand or pure rumors."

"Dangerous…" Koneko spoke up, drawing the attention of her friends.

"What do you mean Koneko?" Kiba scratched his chin, trying to think of anything in the past hour or so that could be an indication that Zabuza was dangerous… nothing came to mind. _An arrogant prick, sure but dangerous?_

"Smells like blood… lots and lots of blood." Was Koneko's only response before she went back to snacking on her usual treats.

"I see.. we'll watch him for now… but for now." Rias eyed the crimson magical circle that appeared before her. _Guess it's show time._ She thought with a small smile, honestly looking forward to adding a cute little brother to her peerage.

**AN: Next chapter is where the action begins, now that everyone has met, more or less. Anyways, thank ya for the reviews and votes so far. Aside from that, you know the drill (review or vote for the pairings ya want or don't want.)~ I look forward to the next chapter and hope to see you again~ Have fun**


	4. Fourth Move I

In retrospect, Zabuza wasn't sure why he was here. _Well that's a lie. _He knew exactly why he was here, sprawled out on a tree branch as he watched three fallen angels get nearly blown to oblivion by the destructive power of one, Rias Gremory, through the scope of a modified sniper rifle.

Personally, he thought his fellow devils, even the angels, fallen or not, didn't put enough faith in a gun. He could certainly see why they phased out swords and other mêlée weapons as the primary tool for a massacre. Not that he was ever going to admit that swordsmanship was archaic and pointless in this day and age. He still had his own proffessional pride after all.

With his skills, and a bit of warning, Zabuza was sure he could take out nearly anyone armed with only a gun. But that wasn't the point. To Zabuza, the PGM Hecate II sniper rifle and it's distant cousin, the far removed .44 Magnum Revolver were the logical next step when he found that throwing knives, kunai and shurikens weren't as easy to get as back in his previous life.

So years ago Zabuza made a choice. He had a weapon for close range, something that if the scene through his scope and the listening device that Haku had placed Issei early today were of any indication, he'd be using rather soon. With that in mind, he decided to go with a weapon designed solely for killing from afar.

Of course, his ammo supply was a lot more limited than he wished for. He'd yet to figure out sealing, or storing components in an alternate dimension, so he was stuck with a total of fourteen shots with the rifle and a couple dozen shots with the revolver. Well, at least at a speed he was willing to deem useable in combat. Outside of combat he had more then enough time to summon and de-summon supplies as he needed.

Haku liked to claim that for their purpose, the guns had a little too much power. Zabuza disagreed. He was a heavy believer in the fact that the concept of overkill was just that. A simple concept and had no place in reality.

_If you are going to kill something after all, you may as well go to the effort of making sure it stays dead. _Thought the man with a rifle designed to punch through tanks, and a pistol that could take a man's arm off at thirty paces. The fact he had the bullet's blessed by a local priest, and soaked in holy water when not in use was his simple little addition for any devil that decided to get uppity, or specifically made a pass on Haku.

Which leads us back to the current situation, or specifically how Haku was sitting next to him, listening to music as she killed time before he gave her the signal that the operation was to begin.

They had spent the last few days on observation outside of school, either shadowing the Gremory Peerage as Issei was shown the ropes of devil-hood, or keeping an eye on the quartet of Fallen Angels that had made it their mission to make Issei's life hell for one reason or another.

In his opinion, Zabuza found it one of the most boring stake out in his career, with Rias and Akeno explaining concepts he'd known since childhood… his second childhood to the perverted pawn. The only interesting parts was watching the Stray Devil extermination, allowing him to confirm a few suspicions as well as get a glimpse at the enemy strength. Even Issei's, oddly enough.

_How the hell the brat's worth 8 pieces is beyond me..._The swordsman turned temporary sniper thought as he readjusted his sights.

Rias and her posse were heading inside. _Show time. _From their vantage point, Zabuza could see the majority of the church's interior, specifically where the last of the Fallen Angel's was getting her nice ass handed to her on a silver platter.

If anything, Zabuza felt a tinge of pity for the girl. Haku's familiars had picked up enough of the groups conversations that he had a rough guess of what their intentions were, and he couldn't blame them for trying what they did. _It's war. You do what it takes to win._

The fact that Issei's sudden burst in power was giving him flashback's to the Kyubi brat's 'victory' over Haku wasn't helping either. His whole gut was screaming at him to either kill the pervert now before he snowballs into whatever equivalent of the Kyubi brat this world had or wait and suffer through his choice. _Sadly, I'm going to take the stupid choice._

And not put a bullet in his head. _Yet. Not put a bullet in his head, yet._

Zabuza gave Haku's leg a light tap, drawing her attention out of whatever sugary love song was currently tainting his beloved music player.

"Take the rifle, you know the drill." He said as he stood up, Haku giving him a quick kiss on the cheek for 'Good luck' before he took off towards the church in the process of making quite possibly his second biggest mistake of the night.

_Least I got a kiss before my execution.. _Zabuza thought with a grim chuckle.

* * *

Haku watched through the scope as Zabuza quickly raced through the trees, sparing the church a quick glance, wincing as a particularly nasty punch caught the fallen angel, _Raynare, her name's Raynare_, in the face.

Least Issei had no intentions of getting this over with quickly, allowing Haku to thank whatever spirit was watching over her and her partner as she saw Zabuza create a few clones as he ran, already knowing what their job was.

With one last glance at Zabuza, Haku leveled the rifle back towards the church, putting the red-haired scalp of Rias Gremory in her sights. _I didn't believe him before but is she really not wearing a bra? _Haku asked herself as she watched Ria's chest bounce around in an almost hypnotic fashion, before Haku shook her head, clearing away unnecessary thoughts for the task at hand.

Haku knew her orders were if Rias turned into a threat, she was to blow out a knee cap, but this was one of those common occasions where she was willing to go against Zabuza. If Rias did anything more than scratch Zabuza, she was getting an anti-armor round right between the eyes, faster than she could say 'Hail Satan', _repercussions be damned_.

* * *

_That asshole! Leaving me like this! I don't want to die! Not like this! Not like second-rate trash, thrown to the dogs! _Raynare thought as the tears flowed freely. Raynare knew she was going to die, but she sure as -hell- was going to be cursing Freed to her last breath, when she wasn't pleading for Issei to spare her.

Was she a coward for trying to beg for her life? Probably, absolutely but only the truly content or an idiot can face death with an actual smile on their lips, and people such as that were as rare as they came.

She was just like any other angel, devil, or human in her last moments. She wanted to live, she wanted a future, and at this point she was willing to give anything and everything she had just for a chance at seeing another sun rise.

So it really came as no surprise to her that the moment the red-haired bitch agreed to kill in place of Issei, that as soon as the glowing, crimson magical circle appeared before her, she, a fallen angel gave one last prayer to a God that had long since forsaken her as the mass of pure destructive power came to finally end her.

Later she would reflect that God did answer her. In a pair of baggy pin striped pants that threatened to slide off his waist in a light breeze and a set of cow print arm-warmers, but he answered her prayers.

* * *

Rias blinked at the scene before her. She had just annihilated the last of the fallen angels who had the audacity to try to hurt one of her servants. There was nothing left of the women that killed her cute little pawn not once but twice. Nothing but ashes and smoldering marble.

Sadly that was not the reality before her. No, instead of black marks and ruined floors, there stood some monstrosity of a steel embedded directly between her and Raynare, it's presence almost mocking her since she hadn't even seen, or heard any indication of the weapons arrival. By the stunned faces on her peerage, she wasn't the only one.

_What kind of monster wields something like this…_Rias thought as she gave the sword a quick look over, traveling from the bottom, upwards to the figure sitting calmly on the butt of the hilt..

The tip of the blade had sunk into the marble floor a few inches, but even then she could still see the circular cut out near the top, wide enough for a person's head to fit through with ease.

_It must be at least 6 feet tall… and it's almost as wide as my hips…_Rias thought as she took in the bone white edge and dull grey centre, working her way up to see the semi-circular notch closer to the handle. This was a sword that with a decent amount of strength behind it could cut through her with ease.

The worst part though was the aura that seemed to radiate from it, a dark purple miasma that seemed to dance in loose swirls around the blade. Rias even swore she saw a face grinning at her in the transparent clouds.

"Zabu..za.." Kiba finally found his voice, even though he was the one examining the blade the closest. He didn't even have to touch it to know what it was. A demonic sword, and a particularly nasty one at that.

Rias looked up, and sure enough there was Zabuza, feet on the guard of his blade as he lightly rested against the tip of the handle.

"Yo." Zabuza said while doing his best to imitate the smile Kakashi gave his brats before getting his weak ass thrown into the water prison technique.

Again Rias could only blink. She couldn't think of any reason why Zabuza of all people would be here. The fallen angels were obviously working by themselves, and he shouldn't even know about the fight tonight with the barrier up.

But there he was, sitting on the sword, looking down on them like it was the most natural thing in the world. _Hell, he's not even in uniform._She thought.

And she was right, while her peerage was still in their school uniform, Zabuza seemed to be in his casual clothes. _Or his combat gear. _Her cautious side spoke up as she took the sight in.

If Rias had ran into Zabuza anywhere else, she'd have guessed he was on his way to play basketball, with a dusky blue, sleeveless jersey, dark, baggy pinstriped pants with more pockets than she was willing to count at the time which seemed to be hanging dangerously low, a clean pair of sneakers, and his ever present white scarf with the ends attached to _cow print arm warmers of all things.._

"Explain yourself." Rias finally said, not at all happy with this sudden turn of events.

"And a good evening to you to Gremory." Zabuza said, enjoying the sight of Rias's frown gaining a few more lines at his chosen way of addressing her. In the past few days, they had talked a total of two more times and even then it had only been a casual greeting in the hallway.

Still had a huge impact in the school's rumor mill, especially with Issei's sudden stroke of luck. Many wondered what exactly they were missing that in the space of a day the beloved Rias Gremory was giving the time of day to not only the new transfer students but one of the resident perverts.

The common theory was that Zabuza somehow blackmailed her or threatened her, at least among those who didn't enjoy the teenagers gruff nature and absolute lack of a fuck with school, or the students. Those that knew a bit more about him, or specifically knew Haku would just guess he knew Rias through Haku somehow.

As for Issei, the only theory that held any semblance of being true was that he somehow made a deal with the devil. It was the only possibility. Sadly the students may never know.

"Not the time Gaap. Explain. Now." Rias glared up at the swordsman, demanding an answer.

"Was around, saw the barrier, got curious." Zabuza shrugged as he lied through his teeth with practice ease.

"So you saw that we were fighting, and then saved -her-." Rias's eyes darted to the fallen angel who was staring up at Zabuza's back with a mix of shock and awe, wisely keeping her mouth shut to see how this played out. "Why? And keep in mind, choose your answers carefully. I don't enjoy it when my servants are threatened or harmed… so if you had anything to do with this, tell me now and I'll make your death painless."

Zabuza laughed as if he was disgusted at the idea. "If I had any hand in this, Issei's corpse would have been fish food for the past four days and you'd have had no idea I was even involved, much less that Issei was even dead. No, he'd simply. Fade into the mist. Unlike the women cowering behind my sword, I'm a professional."

"Oh my, oh my. Brave words there…" Akeno smirked as Issei paled at the thought of being chopped up by the sword before him.

Rias meanwhile mulled over Zabuza's words. "Then why are you protecting the fallen angel?" She finally decided to ask the million dollar question.

And in response, she got a million dollar answer. "I have a bad habit of picking up broken birds. What can I say." Sadly it was a million dollars worth of crap. Possibly with a two cents of truth mixed in.

"And what do you plan on doing with her?" Rias was really hoping his answer was either question her for information, or something that wasn't complete bullshit.

"I was going to ask her to join my peerage."

Rias could have heard a pin drop, and even Raynare blinked at the offer.

"Not a chance."

Zabuza raised an eyebrow at Rias's declaration. "And who are you to stop me?"

"The master of the servant she killed, twice. Blood for blood."

"Funny. For a dead man, the monkey is rather spry. But I'm not going to let you kill her. How bout we make a deal, Gremory? I am after all a mercenary."

"What, kind of deal?" Rias didn't want to admit it, but Zabuza was starting to get on her nerves in a way that reminded her of Riser but worse. Riser was an arrogant, self-centered ass whose brain was in his balls nine times out of ten, but at least he had a reason for being a prick. After all, when you are immortal, what's the worst that can happen? You've basically won the lottery of life at that point.

But no. Here was Zabuza, looking down on her, toying with her, possibly bluffing on a joker and an uno card and she couldn't shake the feeling she was being played with. Best case scenario? She kills the fallen angel but gains an enemy among one of the few pillars remaining. Worst case? Zabuza ends up dead and the scandal ruins her beyond any hope of recovery.

"Simple. I give Issei a gun or a knife. His choice, and he kills the women. I'll give him two minutes, if he can bring himself to do, problem solved. I walk away owing you for wasted time. But, if he can't." Zabuza's grin could almost be seen through the fabric of his scarf. "She comes with me."

Rias spared Issei a look to see what kind of condition he was in, and it wasn't good. Turning her attention back to Zabuza she simply sighed. "No need.."

"Wait! Prez, are we really going to let her get away with this?! After all that's happened to Asia?! And what the hell is Zabuza doing here anyways?!" Issei shouted at the turn of events.

_Apparently no one filled him in. _"I'll give you three guesses why I'm here boy. And trust me, I'm no angel." Zabuza ignored Issei's glare as he continued. "Besides, what right do you have to complain. You threw away your chance at revenge the moment you asked your precious president to do it for you."

"B-"

"Spare me the excuses, cause frankly I don't care. You had shown weakness and hesitation against the enemy. Something that'll get you and your comrade's killed, or worse one day. Now I suggest you get to reviving the priestess before I decide to get greedy and take her for myself."

"Why you gorrilla bastard!-"

"Issei, enough. Grab Asia. We'll talk about this later." Rias spoke up, her tone not leaving room for her pawn to argue.

"Fine, Prez." Isse sent Zabuza one last glare before walking over to where Asia lay. With her eyes closed she almost seemed asleep.

Rias looked at the retreating form of her pawn, before turning her head to Akeno, hoping she had any advice or an alternate course of action. _This whole things leaves a bad taste in my mouth. _Sadly her queen only shook her head, and Kiba was had gone back to staring at the sword like it was a puzzle box that he had to solve.

"This isn't over Gaap.." The Gremory Heir warned, getting another snort from Zabuza, not having moved an inch from his precarious seat on his sword. "We'll talk tomorrow."

"Gremory, a bit of advice. If you are going to kill someone, make sure you burn the body beyond a crisp instead of leaving them for dead. After all, we are all devils, and some of them might be willing to sell their soul."

Zabuza huffed out as Rias summoned the magical circle to take her peerage back to the clubroom. The red-head gave him one last glare before disappearing into a flash of light.

* * *

"So.. um.. Zabuza was it?" Raynare finally spoke up once the devils left.

"Women, can you walk?" Zabuza didn't even turn to face her, still sitting on his sword, staring at the spot Gremory and her peerage left from.

"Um.." Raynare tried to stand up, making a valiant attempt in her own opinion, but found it in vain as she fell back to the floor, landing on her ass. _Least it's not my face._After all, she was going to be joining this man's peerage, the least she could do is not embarrass herself any more in her attempt at a first impression.

"I'll take that as no." Zabuza finally decided that it was time to go. He didn't want to leave the device unattended, just for the sheer value it held. He could outfit an army with the damn thing if he had enough time. _Find the sacred gear, and find someone who can actually use it with competence.. _Zabuza wasn't a firm believer in fate, and thought the God who was willing to give away items of power such as a Sacred Gear to any old chump deserved to be pushing up daisies somewhere.

Zabuza flicked his wrist,a murky purple magical circle appearing under his sword to put it back in storage as he picked Raynare up in a bridal carry, the fallen angel unable to meet his eyes for some reason.

The remains of the church door stood little chance against Zabuza's foot as he kicked it down. Could he have teleported back home? Absolutely, but that'd be taking the easy way, and he could use the exercise after a week of stake out and info gathering.

_Not that she weighs any more than half of Kasumi.. _Zabuza snorted as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, ignoring the wind and the weird looks from Raynare. _Haku and the clones will be back home by now… guess that only leaves the 'fun' part.._The swordsman thought with a tired sigh, kind of wishing today would just end.


	5. Fifth Move I

Haku purred quietly as she shifted around, still half asleep from a tiring night of assisting in healing two people back from the brink of death and another from a beating that made death look like a mercy. Zabuza's clones had done their job bringing back the fallen angels to her for aid.

_Ugh.. too early.._The small devil thought as she cracked an eye open to glance at the clock. Six in the morning. _Going back to sleep now, night night. _Haku yawned as she put her head back down on her favorite and only pillow, Zabuza's bare chest.

It was a habit years in the making, with Haku being rather short for her age and Zabuza just being Zabuza, he was the perfect size for a body pillow, a fact she exploited ruthlessly every night as she always went to bed at his side, only to find herself on top of him the next morning.

Haku took a quick glance at the other occupants of the bed flanking Zabuza at his sides, three more bodies than usual sharing the giant bed. To her slight ire, they seemed to have taken a page out of her book and had piled as close to Zabuza as they could get, probably wanting to stick close to the source of warmth under all the sheets.

_Well.. this was my decision.. _Haku thought as she closed her eyes, giving Zabuza one last good night kiss before drifting back to sleep as she pushed away any regrets. Zabuza was a big boy, and she was more than willing to share. _Just so long as I get first dibs on everything. _She didn't fight the grin spreading across her face.

* * *

Raynare wasn't sure where she was. The last thing she remembered was begging for her life and something about praying. She didn't remember the church ever having a bed large enough to fit her, Mittelt and Kalawarner, much less with room to spare.

Looking around only brought more questions to mind. The walls painted a deep ocean blue, with an ornate wooden nightstand on either side of the bed, but aside from the dull white carpet flooring and pair of window's letting light in, it was rather spartan place.

As Raynare stretched, letting out a quiet yawn, the events of last night came flooding back to her, specifically the part where she was rescued and carried across town by some handsome devil. _Literally.._

Who apparently, lived up to his races reputation for perversion by having stripped her down and changed her clothes while she slept. Glancing over at Mittelt and Kalawarner for the second time showed that they too had been stripped down, the trio wearing nothing more than loose-fitting t-shirts with the names of vaguely familiar human bands printed across the front.

On Mittelt it was fine, the hem of the shirt came down almost to her knees, but Raynare could see a few issues for herself and Kalawarner. _I'm fine with my body, but I am not going to indulge some weirdo's fantasy of walking around like this for long…_

It's not like Fallen Angel didn't mind, it's just that she didn't expect the stranger to be so bold. They'd barely met and he'd already seen everything. A girl had to have some mystery after all. She'd only transformed in front of Issei the first time as a small mercy to a dying man. _Let the pervert catch a glimpse of a beautiful women once in his life before being tossed aside._

But no, fate had other plans. Specifically getting thrown out of the fallen angels for doing her duty, or at least trying to go above and beyond. _Well screw Azazel and Shemhazai.. I have a new master now. _Raynare thought with a satisfied smile. A master that might actually appreciate her effort.

"Mmm.." Mittelt groaned as she sat up, staring at the room blankly. "Is this the afterlife?" A rather foolish question from an angel, but Raynare didn't comment, seeing how the girl was half asleep.

"Well, Raynare's here, so it's probably hell." Kalawarner didn't even look up as she spoke.

"Shut up Hag."

"Brat."

Mittelt just giggled at the exchange before getting a glare from the elder women which quickly shut her up, but not before she stuck her tongue out at the pair of them.

Silence descended over the trio as the question Mittelt and Kalawarner wanted to avoid for as long as possible hung over the group.

It was Kalawarner who finally broke the silence after ten minutes of the ladies collectively avoid each other's gaze. "We failed, didn't we?"

Raynare simply nodded.

"And Dohnaseek?" None of the ladies particularly liked the single male of their group, but he was still a comrade, and they hoped he'd at least gotten away or something.

"I.. don't know honestly…"

"I see.. what are we going to tell Azalel?" Kalawarner went straight to the next awkward question, but before Raynare could mention she had technically changed sides Mittelt spoke up.

"Screw him! All we tried to do was help, and he kicked us out! Frankly, I'm happy we failed. Now I can spend my days doing something fun instead of listening to those stuffy old men boss us around."

"We can't just leave him like that! After all, he must have had a hand in saving us, right Raynare?" Kalawarner turned towards the unofficial leader of the group. After all, in her mind the only one who'd save them is a fellow fallen angel. Specifically one acting under Azalel's orders in light of their attempts to get back in his good graces.

"Well.." Raynare avoided the older angels gaze, not wanting to be the one to break her heart and apparently the universe was on her side as the door behind her swung open.

* * *

It was times like now, that Zabuza was regretting his decision to not include a guest room on the list of requirements for his base of operations in the human world or at least not sound proof his room. In hindsight it made sense, but back then he just assumed that he'd find a human that already had a home.

At worst, he'd find a single individual who could sleep on the couch for a night until other arrangements were made. He did not expect two half dead fallen angels with their chew toy of a leader having to crash on his bed.

The kicker was that Haku wouldn't let him sleep on the couch, saying something about any of them being offended about waking up in bed with a stranger was their own problem for nearly getting themselves killed, along with a whispered statement asking the world 'who wouldn't want to wake up next to him.'

_Funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same. _Even in his second run through, he still couldn't quite understand how Haku's mind worked. _It's just too nice.._

So there he was, standing outside the door to his room, fresh from his shower, wearing nothing more than a grey towel wrapped around his waist, praying to Satan himself that his guests were still asleep so he could grab a pair of sweatpants. _Shirts are always optional._

Unfortunately his prayers went unanswered, for as soon as the door was open, three sets of eyes were staring at him. Well, two were staring at him, and one was trying to decide whether to stare or try to look at the ground.

"Good. Food's downstairs. Now out, I'm getting changed. We'll talk over breakfast." Zabuza said without missing a beat, like it was standard for him to walk into a room of scantily clad women, half-naked while demanding them to leave.

Raynare for her part nodded and left without a second glance, Kalawarner following behind her shortly, making sure to give Zabuza a mistrustful glare before leaving the room. This left only Zabuza and Mittelt, the latter sitting on the bed with a shit eating grin and no intentions on leaving by her own free will.

"Well?" The blonde fallen angel said as Zabuza tried to stare her down. "Are you going to get changed or not?" She finished with the same innocent smile on her face, her eyes never leaving Zabuza.

_When in doubt, use violence._Zabuza sighed to himself, making sure his towel was secure before walking over to stand in front of Mittelt who simply giggled.

"My, aren't you forward. No 'hi, hello, how are you?', right to the point. I like that in a big hunk of man such as yourself." The blonde said as she reached out to touch his abs.

Ignoring her, Zabuza reached his hand around her, picking her up by the scruff of her next. He'd carried sacks of groceries that were heavier than the struggling blonde child.

"Hey! Put me down! I'm not a kid, I can walk just fine thank you! You're really pushing it buddy, I was going to give you a kiss from pretty little me as a reward for letting us stay the night, but oh no. Not anymore! You're on my shit li-"

Zabuza dropped Mittelt on her ass outside his door, before closing it without a second glance at the angel's pouting face.

* * *

"Ah, just in time. Come come, don't be shy, we have plenty to go around." Haku smiled as she saw the two older fallen angels come down the stairs into the kitchen.

Today was her turn to cook, and since she was now cooking for five instead of two she decided to go with a simple breakfast of pancakes and eggs. Haku set down the last of the plates on the island counter in front of her as she waved the angels to come closer.

To Raynare's amusement, Haku was also wearing nothing more than a button up dress shirt. The fallen angel wrote it off as one of the tall man's quirks.

"I'm not going to bite, but the food will get cold. And if you aren't feeling like something hot, we do have cereal somewhere around here…" Haku trailed off, trying to remember where exactly she put it as Raynare and Kalawarner took their places on the other side of the counter.

"Thank you… now who are you, what are we doing here, and did Azalel send you?" Kalawarner asked as she watched Raynare picked up a fork to slowly but eagerly attack the food set before her.

Haku just smiled at the question. "Don't worry, we aren't enemies. But we'll talk once Zabuza and.."

"Mittelt." Raynare supplied the name for her.

"Mittelt come down stairs. Zabuza doesn't like having to explain things more than once if he can help it." Haku finished with a shrug before turning back to the kitchen to get the cereal in case Mittelt wanted some.

Not willing to take her situation at face value, Kalawarner leaned over to whisper in Raynare's ear. "Once Mittelt comes down, let's make a break for it. They aren't telling us something…"

"Don't worry you hag.. I promise, these people don't mean us any harm. If they wanted us dead, they'd have left us to the Gremory bitch." Was Raynare's hushed response as she glanced around the large room that took up the majority of the first floor.

While the bedroom they awoke in only had the bare necessities, the room they sat in now definitely had some work done on it. The room was split into two halves, separated by the marble-topped counter she sat at. On one side was a full kitchen with white tile flooring and light blue walls, while behind her was three couches set up in a horseshoe shape, centered around a large television, with polished hardwood underneath. That wasn't including the multitude of pictures she'd passed in the hallways or in the room itself, all of two people, one with a bright smile on her face at all times, and the other hidden under a white scarf.

_Obviously my new master isn't strapped for cash.. _Raynare thought with a smirk. _Now if only he could have went the extra mile to get us a pair of pants. _The fallen angel's smirk disappeared as quickly as it came up, after all the breeze wasn't exactly pleasant.

Haku seemed to notice her discomfort. "Don't worry. I was the one to change you. Zabuza is a lot of things, but he'd never do that to a girl. You aren't his type after all." She said with a reassuring smile, the still drove spikes into the fallen angels heart.

_Not his type.. is he gay? _Cause in Raynare's humble opinion of herself, she had the body of the perfect women, and if someone couldn't see that they needed to get their eyes or taste checked. Regardless, she had to ask.

"What is his type then?"

Kalawarner for her part just tuned to conversation out as Mittelt took her place next to her, a disgruntled pout on her face, muttering about how she was missing a good show right now cause the guy was a prude.

"Loyalty." Zabuza said as he followed shortly behind Mittelt, drawing the eyes of the room's occupants and a smile from Haku at his attire. Nothing but a pair of grey sweatpants. "I reward and appreciate loyalty above all else. Do your job, do it well and you will be rewarded in kind."

Zabuza took his place on the other side of the counter, pouring himself a bowl of cereal, shooting a giggling Haku a glare as she kissed his cheek good morning before he continued. "Betray me, and I will kill you. There is no middle ground. Now, I know her name." He pointed to Raynare.

"But I don't know yours, or yours." His finger went to Kalawarner and Mittelt, the latter speaking up first in her same chipper tone.

"Mittelt, nice to meet you handsome. But you can call me whatever you want with arms like those." The blonde haired angel grinned, thanking her lucky stars. Not only was she dead, but she was getting an early Christmas present with the show before her.

Zabuza just nodded before turning his gaze to Kalawarner, who met him halfway, not wanting to cooperate with an unknown quantity. But after a few seconds, she gave in, still not breaking eye contact in her clipped response. "Kalawarner."

"Good. This is Haku." Haku smiled and bowed politely, a few strands of loose hair falling in front of her face before being absentmindedly brushed aside . "I am Zabuza. As Raynare has probably already said, we are the ones who saved you last night. We wanted to get all four of you, but we couldn't find the body of the big guy."

"We apologize for that. Though if you wish, we could still give him a proper burial rights if you wish?" Haku's offer only got a noncommittal shrug from the trio. Again, they were comrades mostly through necessity, and _prayers don't bring the dead back, so what's the point_, was the prevailing thought running through their heads.

"Alright. Now I offer you a choice. I did not save you out of the good of my heart." _What little I actually have. _Zabuza looked over the three of them, Raynare knowing what was coming up next. "You may leave and do as you wish, but know this. Your actions have made you a target to not only the devils but your fellow fallen angels as well."

He grinned at the small shudder that ran down Mittelt's back, she obviously didn't enjoy the thought of being on the run from all three factions at once.

"Or, you may join me. As part of my peerage, you'll be safe from my fellow devils."

"And why should we trust you to protect us? You are a devil. Your race lies, cheats and steals as they wish." Kalawarner interrupted, getting a shrug out Zabuza before he leaned forward, his face just inches away from his own. To her credit, she didn't back down, even as she saw the unnaturally pointed teeth as he spoke.

"All true. But I am a professional before all else. Join me, you will be given a roof over your head, food in your gut, clothes on your back, a purpose to live and in time the training to do as you wish in the world. You will become my tools, sharpened and honed under my hand. In return, you will follow one rule, and one rule only. My word, is law."

Zabuza shifted to the side, this time staring down Mittelt. "I do not ask for a pledge of loyalty. Nor an oath that you serve me till death. Words are nothing to me. Do as I command and you will be compensated. I am a greedy demon, but I treat my tools right if they work for it."

Again Zabuza shifted, coming face to face with Raynare this time. "Now, you have until tomorrow to make your choice. Join me, or leave." He leaned back, glancing at Haku trying to read her face. Just like he thought, maybe a bit too over dramatic.

Haku leaned her head against his arm as she waited for the angel's decisions.

"I'll do it." Raynare said before going back to her food, still unable to meet Zabuza's gaze.

"Depends.. what is your policy on wearing shirts around the house.. is this," Mittelt waved her hand up and down to indicate Zabuza's toned body, "Just a negotiation tactic to ensnare little old me, or…"

"Zabuza rarely wears a shirt unless we are expecting company or plan on going out." Haku met Mittelt's eyes. Later Zabuza would reflect that the two shortest members of his peerage seemed to have some conversation on a wavelength he wasn't privy too.

"In that case! Sign me up Big Sis."

Kalawarner sighed, her choices now limited in her view to servitude with some devil or facing the world alone. _Not the best possible position to be in.._ "Fine.. I will work for you.. for now."

"The door is open at anytime you wish to leave. I will not stop you." Zabuza picked up his bowl of cereal and a spoon. "Now, finish eating, tell Haku your sizes and what kind of clothes you'd like then come down to the basement. We start training, today."

Haku hid a giggle at the mention of training, remember her initial lessons under Zabuza. _Oh they'll be fine._ She thought as the four girls began to compare and fight over their preferred style of clothes.

* * *

Issei squirmed under Rias's gaze. "What do you mean, they aren't there?"

"Well.. Prez.. they didn't show up to class today.." The second year said as Rias's scowl grew.

"I see.." _I didn't expect Gaap to be so petty.. If he won't come to us, we'll go to him. _Rias thought to herself. "No matter. If he wants to be difficult, two can play at that game."

**AN: Yo, new chapter. But yes, hope you all liked it. There shall be fights and drama next chapter~ (I pinky swear) Anyways. Ya, changed the title, for reasons such as not getting my story confused with another author's work as it was brought to my attention. (On a completely unrelated note, if you get bored and are looking for a good read, check out Demon Among Devilsby The Crimson Lord, a Persona/Highschool DxD fanfic) Apparently I copied the name of a title unintentionally, and for that I apologize. Regardless, I would like to mention that I'll be closing the poll down on the third, so get those votes in now while you can. Until next time~**


	6. Sixth Move I

Issei wasn't sure what he expected Zabuza's house to be like. A foreboding castle with tall spires and bats flying around was not only a little too cliche and over dramatic for the masked gorilla, but they were in the middle of Tokyo.

Still, the fact that Rias led them to a quiet residential area just didn't seem to fit in his mind. Of course the only time he'd actually spoken to Zabuza was their short.. _well not a conversation.. more like interrupted shouting match.. _back at the church.

Regardless, he stuck close to Asia's side as they continued down the walkway.

"Prez, are you sure you got the right address?" Issei finally asked as the Gremory peerage stopped in front of the plain two story house.

"I'm sure.. This was the address in the registry." Was Rias's response, even if she didn't believe it either. Thankfully the universe sent them an answer.

"Hey you punks! No loitering or I'll call the police!" A shrill voice called out from behind them, startling Issei while the rest simply turned around to look at the old lady.

"I'm sorry Ma'am. We were just looking for a friend's house. You wouldn't happen to know if this is the home of Zabuza Momochi." Rias asked with a polite smile.

The woman's demeanor changed at the question, her frown gaining a playful edge. "Friends of Haku, are you? Yes, that's their house…" She said before turning on her heels to yell at her own house. "Haku! You got friends over and they are looking for your delinquent boyfriend!"

_An impressive set of lungs on her.. _Was the collective thought at the shouting, while Koneko covered her ringing ears.

The door opened, Haku peeking her head out. "Auntie, please don't shout. You know how Mrs. Tamaki's been lately with.."

Auntie simply waved Haku's accusations away. "In my day, a bit of shouting would do a young mother good. Now scoot. You got friends over. I'll finish the baking myself. I need an excuse to get you out my house. You're spoiling an old woman to death."

"I do my best Auntie." Haku smiled back as she stepped outside in a chocolate and flour stained t-shirt and jeans. "If you need anything..."

"Yes yes, call you. You're giving me a toothache Haku, go see the brats want your hoodlum of a husband for."

"Not my husband Auntie." Haku blushed at the accusation, getting a snort from the elder woman.

"Yet Haku. Yet. I've seen the way you look at him. He's wrapped around your finger and you know it. Now get. I got a cake to finish." Auntie gave Haku a swift smack to her bottom before going inside to finish messing around.

Haku brushed herself off before smiling up at the Gremory peerage. "Good afternoon, how may I be of assistance?"

"We are here to speak with Gaap." Rias decided to cut through the pleasantries. Haku seemed nice, but she wanted to get things sorted out before anything stupid happened to her peerage.

"Then please follow me." Was Haku's response as she led the group across the street.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, and Zabuza stalked into his living room where the Occult Research Club was waiting for him. It didn't take an expert on body language to know that Zabuza wasn't in the best mood? After all, why would he be?

Wasn't like he was interrupted during the first training session with the members of his peerage? The training session where he put them through their paces, pushed them to their limits to best examine them. Figure out the specific areas in need of improvement the most. _Well.. aside from battlefield practicality. Rule 1, it's just as satisfying to laugh and taunt your enemies corpse, than it is to taunt a still breathing one. Safer as well._

But no. Gremory was just as stubborn as he was, and even after Haku's multiple assurances that she could act in Zabuza's place no matter the circumstances, the red-haired devil refused to back down until a certain Gaap was sitting across from her.

'To avoid any future misunderstandings.' Were her exact words. _And what a load of… _Zabuza reigned himself back in. He was in control of his emotions. Even if things weren't going as planned, he'd manage. _Least we got one solid addition from all this…_

The cross. The large, glowing cross with the ability to steal Sacred Gears that he'd carried back, now stashed in one of the various hidden storage rooms built into his underground training facility. Paranoia, thy name is Former Ninja of the Bloody Mist, Zabuza Momochi.

_Overkill? With something like that? Not a chance._

So Zabuza walked slowly, deliberately to the center couch, almost cracking a smirk as he saw Issei's eyes widen with first perverted glee at the sight before him, before rapidly switching between fear and anger.

The young former priestess, well, that was easier to describe in Zabuza's eyes as the girl tried to get even closer to Issei. _Scared shitless, or looking like she'd seen a ghost. Take your pick. _Still, the fact the boy didn't hesitate to put a comforting hand on her arm was worth something.

Akeno and Kiba simply narrowed their eyes as they recognized the occupants of Zabuza's arms, while Koneko and Rias managed to keep up a mask of indifference.

With no further prompt, Zabuza dropped a half-naked and groaning Raynare onto the couch, before dumping Kalawarner on top of her in a similar state. Mittelt was last, having been draped over his shoulders in a fireman's carry before being thrown off. The third and final addition to a pile of sore newly resurrected devils, fresh from a beating- _training session_\- of a life time.

"My my, interrupting something were we?" Akeno teased as Mittelt gave her the finger, Kalawarner mumbled various curses and Raynare tried to look threatening. Being dog-piled by two other people, while dressed in nothing more than a simple red sport's bra and neon pink short shorts, her fellow fallen angels wearing similar outfits, did little to enhance the 'I'll kill you' image, she was going for.

Zabuza just ignored the playful queen as he vaulted over the coach to take his seat next to Haku. "I'm here, now get talking." Having said his piece, he leaned back to stare at the ceiling. He had more important things to do than listen to whatever Gremory had to talk about.

"I see.. you resurrected all of them. I believe there was one more?" Rias spared the three battered and bruised angels a glance before turning her attention back to Zabuza who simply snorted.

"Unfortunately, we were unable to find any remains of Dohnaseek, from what I saw, I believe he sacrificed himself to shield Kalawarner and Mittelt. Zabuza has offered to have a small memorial this weekend if you so wish to attend.." Haku addressed the last part towards the trio of girls, who collectively shook their heads. Just wasn't their style. The Gremory peerage sharing similar thoughts bout their attendance.

"Now, how may we be of assistance Miss Rias?"

"I was hoping for you to answer a few questions I have regarding your involvement in the past week. As well as-"

"If you want Twilight Healing back, you'll be paying for it. Those too weak to protect something precious to them don't deserve it in the first place." Zabuza spoke up with a tone of finality before going back to organizing the training schedule in his head. Kalawarner, Raynare and Mittelt felt a shiver go down their spine as he remembered a few choice method's Haku had gone through.

"Pay for it!? It was Asia's to begin with! Raynare was the one who stole it! It belongs to Asia!" Issei stood up, palms slamming against the table as he glared at Zabuza. "It isn't fair that after all she's gone through, and everything that's happened, she loses her Sacred Gear as well."

"Zabuza." Haku took a moment to look at her partner, catching his eye. After a brief few seconds, she gave a resigned sigh before looking at the Gremory Peerage. "Apologies, but Zabuza is right. We are not looking to make enemies, but we also won't give up Twilight Healing without payment."

"How much." Rias didn't hesitate. Money in exchange for her new bishops happiness and abilities? The price would have to be ludicrously high for her to even consider saying no. _Time to put one of the perks of being born a Pillar to good use. _In other words, breaking open her lavish piggy bank.

"A marriage contract between Miss Rias and Zabuz-" Haku deadpanned, enjoying the expressions that danced across the Research Club's, ranging from amusement at her attempted joke, or suddenly choking on air, before a light smack to the back of her head told her to stop.

"I mean." The Ice Queen cleared her throat to hide an innocent giggle. "Rias's vir-"

Zabuza didn't even let her take a second syllable before he cut her off with another light smack.

"Fine. Now-" Zabuza gave Haku one last love tap, just to be safe. "Moving on. We are willing to present you with two choices. Two point five billion."

"Oh my, I expected a little more." Akeno raised an eyebrow. It was a large sum, but the Gremory coffer could use a bit of tidying out anyways. In fact it seemed a little to reasonable a price, especially when the second option hadn't been revealed. _There's a hook hidden somewhere.._

"Two and a half billion yen? Easily done. The Gaap household will receive that sum within two days time." Rias waved off Issei's incredible look with a small smile.

"Yen? I'm sorry, but we do not accept the Japanese Yen as currency. Too weak." Haku's tone was sincere and playful, but Rias and Akeno could hear the trace amounts of venom in it. "What Zabuza is asking for, what we are asking for is two point five billion in U.S. Dollars."

_And there it is. _Rias and Akeno thought in tandem. "And the second option?" The amount was still payable, but it was large enough that the other option was at least worth hearing out. After all, Rias had weekly manga budget she had to keep up.

If Haku's smile was any indication, they'd fallen right for the trap. "A match between a member of your peerage against either Zabuza or I. The rules would be till either side yields or knock out. Winner takes the Sacred Gear without complaints."

"That is rather.. generous." Kiba mulled over, trying to see the angle being worked, but coming up with nothing.

"Isn't it?"

"And how would the combatants be selected?" Rias mused, not seeing a downside to this option. _All their actions point to information gathering.. _And frankly if they wanted to just see what tricks she had up her sleeve, let them.

"Entirely your choice Miss Gremory. After all you are a guest." Haku didn't take a moment to think it over. Akeno felt that this was one giant script that Zabuza prepared beforehand that they were playing into.

"And please… do select the perverted monkey. Haku or I could use a pleasant a warm up.." Zabuza yawned, finally putting his attention back to the conversation.

Kiba put a hand on Issei's shoulders before he could fall for the debate. "No. Why don't we settle this between kings, Gaap?"

Haku clapped her hands together as if she just won front row seats to a cinematic premier. "Splendid. Now if you could just follow me, we have a training area in the basement that would be perfect for the match."

The Occult Research club began to follow Haku's lead, making sure to give the fallen angels one last glare as they struggled to untangle themselves.

Zabuza on the other hand simply helped Kalawarner and Raynare to their feet. "Up. You'll be watching."

"So, what's the plan, sir? Killing them once their guard is down?" Raynare asked as she attempted to work out the kinks in her bones, keeping her tone as respectful as possible. In the past few hours her savior had changed from a shining knight into a demon straight from hell itself with the drills he was expecting them to run on their first day.

"No, your orders are to watch and learn." Zabuza's response resulted in a pair of nods from Mittelt and Raynare, but Kalawarner rolled her eyes.

"Can do boss!" Mittelt chirped from her place on the coach, sprawled out with a smirk. "But there is one problem…"

_Of course... _Zabuza simply raised an eyebrow at the small blonde.

"My legs are tired~ Can you carry me? Pweeeease?~" Mittelt's eyes started to water, and her smile turned into a compact and shy pout.

Fortunately, having lived with Haku for years, Zabuza had built up an immunity to most puppy dog eyes. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the mood, so with a resigned huff, he agreed. "Fine."

Of course, Mittelt was probably expecting to be carried like a princess, or at the very, very least a ride on his back. What she got being thrown over the bandaged devil's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

_Well.. _The fallen angel puffed out her cheeks as Raynare fought down a laugh at her situation and Kalawarner wearing a grin the said she'd never live this down for the next week. _Least I got a nice view.._Mittelt smirked as she looked down at a certain ex-ninja's posterior.

* * *

Rias kept a close eye on Zabuza as he took his place. She couldn't see a sword on him, so either he was handicapping himself, or he was arrogant enough to think he wouldn't need it. _Then again, he could be a caster like myself.._

A quick double-check of his physique was evidence to the contrary, but Rias didn't let that bother her. After all, this was just Zabuza's way of gathering information on future rivals in the Rating Games. _Don't exactly approve of the method but the fact he's been stringing us along is testament to something._

She was just glad that the 'arena' was rather spacious, allowing her room to maneuver in the gymnasium sized dojo, with Haku and Akeno creating a barrier to contain the damage in case things got heated as they stood in two groups at the side lines.

Gremory peerage on one side, Asia as far away from the Fallen Angels but as close to Issei as possible, while the Gaap peerage, minus Haku, was leaning against the wall, eyes locked on the combatants.

"My my. Rather rare that two of the Pillars would have a straight duel. Aren't you lucky Issei? You get to witness something rather rare." Akeno smirked as she finished placing her barrier.

"Pillar? What's a Pillar?"

"They are the 'nobles' of the Devils. The pure-blooded families that rule the underworld, who typically have special abilities, such as immortality, super strength, special kinds of magic, ect. Miss Rias is a Gremory, while Zabuza is a Gaap, both are high class devils by birth." Haku explained as she started working on her barrier.

"Ooh.. sweet.. so what does Prez have?" Issei turned to Akeno, figuring she'd have the answer.

"Prez was born with the power of Destruction, from her mother's side, specifically the Bael Clan… as for the Gaap's. If, he did inherit a power, it would be the ability to teleport, water magic or both."

"Can't any devil do that?" Asia asked quietly, remember how Issei managed to get away from Freed in their first encounter.

"Yes, but while transportation circles can be used by any devil who knows how, Gaap's are famous for their ability to traverse great distances in the blink of an eye, or to teleport in rapid succession."

Issei nodded as he gave Asia a reassuring look, he had complete confidence in Prez. After all, there is no way someone as beautiful, talented and kind as her could lose to some ugly gorilla like Zabuza.

"Wait.. um.. Haku?" The queen piece turned to Asia as she called her name. "Would you happen to be a Pillar as well?"

"Oh no. I am simply a human led by fate to Zabuza at a young age. I have an unremarkable sacred gear, but aside from that. I am a plain and simple queen." Haku felt a small twinge of guilt at lying to Asia.. well.. telling a half-truth. She was added to Zabuza's peerage as a human in this life, after a chance meeting, but that's a story for another time. As well as the detail's of the 'unremarkable' sacred gear.

"Oi! Enough chatting in the peanut gallery. Let's get this over with. I got people to train.." Zabuza called out, tapping his foot.

"Impatient.." Koneko mumbled as she took a seat, wishing she had snacks to ease her growing tension.

"Indeed." Kiba nodded.

"So... we got a gong?" Mittelt's suggestion was shot down by a dangerous grin from Akeno.

"How bout I countdown from ten, and on go, they begin?" Haku took a step forward to stop a brawl from breaking out as the Gremory peerage nodded, no one having a better idea. "Well then, are the contestants in position?"

"Yes Miss Haku, we are."

"Haku, start counting already before I make you fight."

"You only had to ask Zabuza." Haku blew Zabuza a kiss, which to everyone else seemed to be ignored, but she saw the subtle shake of her partner's shoulders, knowing that he got a quiet chuckle. As if Zabuza needed luck.

"Ten."

* * *

Zabuza's stance was loose and slumped, hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. In Rias's opinion he looked bored, but she could see his eyes. They were alert, analyzing her as she picked him apart.

"Four."

Keeping distance would be key here. Hand to Hand combat was not her specialty, and if Zabuza's sculpted build was any indication he didn't slack in that apartment.

"Three."

_Get it together Rias, this isn't bout you. It's about Asia. Keep him in your sight and make him pay for every step he takes.._

"Two."

Rias spread her legs out, getting into a solid stance, ready to retreat, stand her ground or unleash hell on the devil protecting those who harmed not only her cute little pawn, but Asia as well.

"One."

All of Rias's world came down to the arena, her mind focused solely on Zabuza. Even now she had to admit the man had a presence. It wasn't blown out of proportion, but it was there. He possessed the ability to draw the eye. Be the center of attention through nothing more than the way he walked, or the way he stood.

"Go!"

So the moment when Haku said go, Rias was more than surprised that her opponent seemed to disappear from view. After all, she could keep track of Kiba at full speed on a good day, so how the hell did she lose a 6ft tall, 160 plus pounds of raw muscle and bandages.

Haku could have answered that question if asked, but instead Rias found Zabuza. Specifically the back of her head found his foot as his sneak attack high kick sent her tumbling forward. Cheap? Absolutely, but it worked.

"Tsk. Expected more." Zabuza took his hands out of his pocket's as Rias got back to her feet from her tumble, not wasting any time with aiming as she began to carpet bomb the area around Zabuza with basketball sized blasts of destructive energy.

Forced onto the defensive, Zabuza retreated backwards, never taking his eyes off Rias as she continued her barrage. What followed could be best described as the Gremory heir taking potshot after potshot after potshot at Zabuza as he fled left, right or just fell back increasing the distance between the two combatants.

As her opponent ducked and weaved through the chaos she was raining down on him, Rias slowly worked her way back until she was pressed up against the barrier, the splitting headache that was throwing off her aim telling her than another kick like that wouldn't knock her out, but it'd certainly make anything magic related difficult to do.

For all the spells being thrown his way, Zabuza didn't look panicked. He met every rapid fire spell with quiet indifference as he seemed to fade back and forth between the small bits of safety. So Rias took a gamble, as she began to gather power.

Seeing his chance, Zabuza took it as he charged forward keeping himself low to the ground to minimize the target. But that wasn't what drew her attention, no, it was the faint murky, purple haze that was starting to outline Zabuza's hands and feet.

Rias made sure to take careful aim as the gathered demonic energy grew to roughly her size. It was a do or die shot, but that was the fun part. Once Zabuza was less than twenty paces away she let loose the Power of Destruction.

Zabuza smirked as the crimson and black Ball'o Death came barreling towards him. _Time to see if this damn thing works. _He thought as he shot his aura enhanced fist forward to strike the spell head on.

* * *

"Oh my, guess that's game." Akeno allowed a triumphant grin to spread across her face as they watched Zabuza take a substantial amount of power to the face. Kiba was wearing a similar expression while Issei began to cheer for his beloved Prez.

Koneko was the only Gremory peerage member who wasn't celebrating. Oh no, she knew what that haze was, and the fact he could use it meant the match wasn't over yet. "No over. Senjutsu."

And she was proven right as the dust from the explosion cleared. Zabuza and Rias were locked in close combat, the red-haired devil unable to regain the needed distance under the Zabuza's constant assault.

Each punch and kick flowed into the next even as Rias did her best to play defense. She ducked under a hay-maker, only for Zabuza to follow through with the motion into a leg sweep forcing her to jump back.

As she did her best to endure the assault, Rias tried to figure out what was nagging her. She was being pushed back, that was obvious, but she was being taken down slowly. They were setting a rhythm, dodge, dodge, block, dodge, duck. Or that's what she thought until Zabuza's left jab suddenly picked up the pace after her fourth consecutive dodge.

Rias's arms didn't come up fast enough as the fist buried itself in her right cheek, breaking her tentative and feeble stance. But not before she got her own punch in. It was sloppy, and lacked a good deal of force behind it, but she did get good hit in his teeth.

But Zabuza didn't take the opening presented to him, punch to his mouth or not, instead he took a step back and raised his hand at Haku, before waving his hand as if he wanted her gone. His partner simply nodded back.

"Why yes. That is game. Zabuza surrenders." The young queen said in a playful tone.

**AN: A small bit of action at the end cause I'm sure some of you are chomping at the bit for it. Writing it has definitely taught me that I'll need to write more to get the hand of them but I'm okay with this for the first little spar. I hope you all are as well. Anyways hope you enjoyed the chapter~ I look forward to the next one~**

**PS. Side note, just have to say this to get it out of my head. The Medaka Box section needs more love'n, especially Kumagawa. You all know I'm right. And if you haven't read/watched Medaka Box yet, I highly recommend it. But that's enough from me. Until next time!**


	7. Seventh Move I

"Gaap."

"Gremory." Zabuza replied to the devil's threatening tone with disinterest and a raised eyebrow as she gathered power in her hands.

"I am through with you toying with me. Even I have my pride."

"And that declaration forces me to take you seriously? Now go take Twilight Healing from Raynare and leave. I'm busy and have more important things than to waste time with you." He countered as his hands went back into his pockets, Rias's glare having no effect on him. He'd faced down Kisame on multiple occasions from a young age. Now that was a death glare.

"Not until I get some answers."

"About? What? The fact that for the past week we've had an eye on your perverted monkey? It's not my job to keep him safe, so feel free to blame someone else. I'm a professional. A mercenary. Could I have helped? Could I have walked into your clubroom with Haku by my side, sat down, enjoyed a nice cup of tea and just been best friends?"

Zabuza slowly stalked towards Rias as he continued talking, voiced laced with sarcasm. "We could have been best friends, just sitting around laughing and enjoying our time together. When Issei joined your peerage we could have thrown him a welcome party, and when Asia got attacked, I could have been the first to jump to her rescue like some damn hero straight out of some of the shitty cartoons here."

Rias didn't back down as Zabuza stopped in front of her, staring down at her with what she would only guess is contempt. The fact that Kiba, Koneko, Akeno, Issei and even Asia didn't hesitate to appear by her side did more than enough to remove her fears of the man. After all, in her mind it was two against six, the fallen angel's strength wasn't a factor. She'd proven that a few nights before.

"I could have done all that and more. But do you know why I didn't? Cause I, don't, give a shark-toothed fuck. Your peerage is your problem. Can you blame Raynare for following orders? I don't know if you forgot, but being mad at a fallen angel for trying to kill a devil is like getting mad at a wolf for killing a deer. It's the natural order of things. So quit bitching, take the Sacred Gear and leave before I decide to get rid of a Rating Game rival, permanently."

"My my, you are being rather rude Mr. Gaap." Akeno narrowed her gaze at the threat as Kiba's hands moved to his side, ready for a fight. Koneko was the only one who wasn't gearing up for a blood bath, instincts screaming at her to get away, but loyalty to Rias stopped her from moving an inch.

"I apologize Miss Gremory, but we are going to have to ask you to leave." Haku held out a set of silver rings. "Please. We don't want any trouble." Zabuza simply snorted but kept quiet as Asia took the offered Sacred Gear, slipping them onto her middle finger with a bright smile.

"And what about Asia?" Issei's voice had an undercurrent of steel in it. "I don't care what happened to me, but what about everything she's been through." Imagines of Freed's hands on Asia, of her hanging, screaming as her Sacred Gear was torn out of her, and her simple wish for friends.

"She's alive, get over it. You lost your right for revenge the moment you asked someone else to do it." Zabuza said with casual dismissal as if this whole thing was starting to bore him. Frankly it was. He had training to get back to.

Issei couldn't help himself, Zabuza's tone and words just caused something to snap. The pawn took the needed step forward, arm pulled back to punch the mummified prick in his smug face.

* * *

The fist never connected as Haku caught Issei's wrist half an inch before it touched Zabuza's face, still wearing that look of bored disinterest.

"Issei. You are a nice boy, and the fact you are fighting to protect someone special to you is something I can respect. But, in the future, if you try to harm Zabuza again. I will cut off the offending limb." The warmth and kindness that everyone had come to associate with Haku had disappeared, replaced with pure, bone chilling ice.

"Gaap.. you had better watch yourself in the future. If any of your people attack my peerage again, I will personally end you." Rias turned to leave after her final warning before a chuckle cut her off. It started off as a deep rumbling but eventually Zabuza couldn't hold himself back as he laughed the threat off.

"Gremory, I appreciate the warning but..." Zabuza grinned beneath his bandages as he finally let his killing intent loose, driving Issei, Asia and the Fallen Angels to their knees with relative ease as the rest struggled to not collapse, Koneko fighting to stop herself from hyperventilating.

He leaned close, whispering in Rias's ear, as Zabuza ignored the shivers that ran down her spine, while Rias could only try, and with great effort fail. "You are nothing more than a naive little girl against a demon. But whether you end up as an ally or an enemy is in your hand's Gremory. Now, here's the deal. You leave my pawns alone, and I'll give you information that will protect something rather important to you… your marriage. Would you be interested?"

Rias found the strength to meet Zabuza's eye out of the corner of her gaze before nodding slightly. The fact she wasn't on her knees like some of the others was one thing she had going for her. In fact, aside from Haku, she seemed to take it the best.

"Phenex is on the move and you don't got much time. I brought you here to see how you'd stack up to chicken boy, but as you stand now? Going to take either a good chunk of luck, or some hired hands. Either way, not my problem."

Zabuza stepped back but not before sliding a business card into the girl's pocket.

* * *

Haku smiled once the Gremory Peerage disappeared in a burst of crimson light through at Transportation Circle. Rias beating a hasty retreat, ignoring the few scattered protests, in favor of getting a head start dealing with her unwanted fiancé, or specifically that he was up to something. Did things go the way she wanted them to? Not in the slightest. _We certainly didn't make any friends today._

But that didn't bother her too much. Zabuza got his chance to get a better read on Rias after all.

"Ryo for your thoughts?"

Zabuza simply rolled his shoulders. "If I was anyone else, I'd say I was a cheater.. I have nearly twenty years of -actual- combat experience on any of these kids... especially when some of them are so soft."

"Could always not fight?" Haku teased as they walked over to the trio of pawns, Zabuza only snorted in response.

"And do what instead? I'm a devil, I'm expected to fight. But if I'm going to fight, I'm going to win, regardless of the methods. Besides, we got a goal to achieve."

Haku only hummed in response, as she suppressed the hints of a blush at the memory of -that-.

* * *

"A warning would have been pleasant." Kalawarner deadpanned as her new 'master' finally came over to the group followed by Haku.

To his credit, Zabuza just raised an eyebrow as if to ask why he'd bother.

"Um.. sir. Why'd you surrender, you were winning and.." Raynare brushed herself off once her legs had solidified under her, only for Mittelt to cut her off.

"And you looked cool doing it! So calm and deadly! Like a knife just cutting through the chaos! Oh! What was that glowing stuff, was it some spell we can learn? Can you teach it to me? Please, please, pleaaase?" The petite blonde bounced around, looking up at Zabuza with eyes sparkling. Instead of a response, she got a hand on her head to hold her in place. Her response? Pretend as if the big, strong hands of her master were petting her in reward of a job well done, before they moved onto the main course. Raynare wiped away the small amount of drool that was starting to gather on her blonde friend's lower lip

"Don't worry Mittelt, all three of you have a chance to learn Senjutsu and more. When he's done with you, I'm sure you'll be able to take on anyone!"

Zabuza had to shake his head at Haku's absolute faith in him, even after dying. "Haku, keep telling them I'm invincible and they might start to believe you." His gaze turned to Kalawarner, Mittelt and Raynare. "Now since Haku and I still have school to attend." _Grudgingly in my case. _"You will be alone here for most of the day."

The girls seemed to perked up at that. "But, I will expect you to train for a respectable amount of time when you are home alone. I will be instructing you at nights, but during the day, what you do is your choice. Every week we will have a mandatory spare where I expect you to come at me with intent to kill, where I will judge your progress. If you are not meeting my expectations as individuals or a group, I will-"

"Throw us out like trash? Or simply kill us and take back the six pawns you wasted for someone worth your time?" Kalawarner bit out, memories of being tossed aside by the Fallen Angels still fresh in her mind.

"Kalawarner." Zabuza leveled her with an impassive stare as a small circle appeared in his hand. With a small flash of light it turned into dull grey combat knife, the blade looked sharp enough to cut through bone with ease.

_Guess here is where my smart mouth get's me killed. _The bluenette thought with vindictive glee and a hint of dread at being proven right.

With a flick of his wrist the knife spun in the air, only to land back in his hand, handle pointing towards her.

"Kalawarner. I will never admit to being an honest man. I am a liar, a killer and a demon, but I am also a selfish, and greedy man. I do not let go of what is mine, unless they want me to. Death itself hasn't stopped me yet. So when I say you, Raynare and Mittelt are now mine, believe it. You are my pawns, parts of my peerage and people I want to stand by my side for so long as you are willing."

Zabuza pushed the knife handle closer to her as the blade bit into his skin, drawing out a small line of blood from his palm. "And I'll give you this knife as a contract, another deal with the devil, but this time, it's personal. If I betray you, if I ever attempt to throw you away, simply take that knife and kill me. I will not stop you, nor will Haku. You may think you are just a tool. Something I keep around only to be used, and that's fine, think whatever you wish, I won't force you to do anything other than fight by my side and train. But remember this."

His grin outlined against the bandages as he finished. "Tools in my care are treated with respect and care they deserve… Now come on. You three need to get washed up, and.. I have to cook?" The last question addressed to Haku who nodded, planning on joining the new additions in the bath.

_After all it was big enough. And I've never really gotten the chance to do some proper feminine bonding in… well.. ever. _The Queen piece chuckled at the thought of 'sizing up her competition'.

* * *

Kalawarner looked at the knife, her thumb gently running across the edge as she sat at the edge of her.. Zabuza's bed wrapped in only a towel. If she was in a complaining mood, she'd wish the piece of fabric was a tad larger, since her chest was threatening to spill out at just the mention of a light breeze.

She was alone with her thoughts, something she was thankful for. Raynare had dragged Haku aside saying something about a personal question, while Mittelt was just being herself, taking an extraordinary amount of time to enjoy every last second of hot water she could.

So that left her, one of three Fallen Angels turned devil, a knife and a lot of questions she couldn't answer at the time, as most of them were about a 'master' she knew little about and her feelings for him. To her, it sounded like the start of a really bad joke.

It was the promise that bothered her the most, or the look in his eyes as he promised her. Absolute certainty. _Certain that he wouldn't betray her, or that even if he did, he'd lay down like a dog and take it._

She needed more time. That's all she needed, time to watch and wait. _Judge a man by their actions, and not by their words. For words are just winds, but actions shape the world. _If she was any less tired, Kalawarner would have reprimanded herself for basing her life decisions off of some fortune cookie she had a month again as she threw on a fresh pair of clothes. but for now, she'd go with it. _I don't like Zabuza or anything like that, but I also don't hate him either._

**AN: So yes, a thing. Not much to say bout this aside from possibly clarifying something. Is Zabuza going to be OP? Not really. One of the things I liked best about Zabuza is that for all his macho muscle and big goddamn sword, his fighting style, and specialties are not suited for the front line. He's an assassin before anything (and I blame Kishimoto and the force known as required plot development for him forgetting that fact in the series proper. Fighting Kakashi up close and in the open, along with some summoning jutsu that was pulled out of nowhere, was what got him and Haku killed in the first place.) **

**The man is a mook's worst nightmare with the skills and abilities to carve through low to mid-level like a molten hot knife through butter, but put him in an even, fair fight against Vali, or Kokabiel and he's going to struggle or more specifically retreat and regroup if available. Haku's the one you want to watch out for in the open... **

**Anyways, enough of me ranting about possibly spoilers. I have another poll up that I would rather like you, the reader (yes, you, -you- specifically) to respond to. A simple yes or no question on whether or not you'd like a chapter with a with some smut/lemon in it. I'm not going to tell who between, but since the poll will be ending on Thursday, I suggest you get voting~ **

**See you all next time~**

**(On one last side note, [I promise, last one]. I still am looking for a beta or someone to proofread/bounce ideas off of. So if the idea of editing terrible grammar and my shitty story appears to you! (Get help) Or send me a pm~ You'll get the next chapter a day in advance as well as the right/unwanted privileged of being able to pick my brain with questions you have bout plot developments and other stupid things I have planned.)**


	8. Eighth Move I

"Again."

Raynare picked herself off the floor with a groan. Zabuza hadn't been lying when he said he'd beat them into shape. He was handing them ass-whopings like candy on Halloween night, and she ate it up. The fact she had thirty pound weights attached to her wrists and ankles did nothing to help her. _After all, is it wrong to want to please my master? _A line of thought that had been becoming far more common in her mind than she expected.

She settled back into the stance that was drilled into her head over the past week, making sure to wait for Zabuza's approval before she attacked. She found it unfair that her opponent had a knife, but that was the entire point of the exercise. Getting used to fighting an enemy who has every advantage.

_And what an unfair advantage it is!_ Raynare screamed in her own head as the short blade that had been causing her so much trouble today drew a thin line of blood on her neck before she managed to pull away.

Zabuza swiftly followed, running through a set style of moves he'd taught the trio over the past few nights, watching as Raynare did her best to counter, getting a few scrapes and shallow cuts that'd be healed up before the session was over.

Then he got mean. His training as based off two phrases. 'Evolution through fear.' and 'Twice as much blood as sweat.' So when Raynare thought she'd won the exchange by catching his knife hand by the wrist she got a little surprise.

He dropped the knife and in one swift motion freed himself from his pawns clutches with a jerk of his elbow that twisted his torso. Zabuza used the momentum he had to knock Raynare off her feet with a low leg sleep, before he grabbed the falling knife out of the air, kneeling down to gently hold it against her throat.

In Raynare's mind, all she knew was that one moment she had won, the next Zabuza was straddling her, with a knife under her chin. _Cheater._

"Don't think you've won until your opponent is dead.." He chided, though Raynare found it hard to meet his gaze given the position. Zabuza had no such troubles.

"Yes sir." Was the weak reply as she pulled herself up right with Zabuza's offered hand.

"Your stance is getting better. Keep running through the drills during the day and you'll have them mastered in a month." Raynare straightened out at the praise, holding her chin high. It was a rare thing in Grigori to be given a compliment by a higher up, and usually it was followed by some veiled barb.

Here the barbs were short and to the point. Wounds meant to toughen, followed by words of encouragement. The dark haired pawn didn't know why, but she found the distinction important. It was rather nice to have such a selfless, strong, generous person as her master, unlike that toad Kokabiel.

"-aynare. Raynare." Zabuza pulled her back from her quick trip into dreamland. It didn't seem to affect her in combat, so he didn't mind too much, but he'd need to train her out of it in the event of ambushes. A soldier that isn't paying attention is a soldier that isn't going to make it through the fight.

"Yes sir!" _Way to go Raynare, now you made a fool of yourself. How will he ever trust you, if you can't even pay attention to training._

"I asked if you had any questions before I switch over to Mittelt." He said the name with an edge of exasperation. Zabuza was not a creature of expression. He wore a mask over his face for a reason. He did not feel comfortable expressing himself.

So the fact that in the past week he'd been assaulted with all manners of affection from the petite blonde was slowly driving him to insanity. His continued residency on the couch didn't help either, but that was a separate point.

In the past four days alone, he'd had his showers interrupted twice by offers to wash his back, been caught trying to change four times, had to pry the girl off of him more times than he wished to mention when she was feeling 'cuddly' and he didn't want to get started on the attempted kisses, or peaks under his bandages.

Mittelt was a natural ninja in his mind, and if his concentration slipped for more than a few seconds she'd have appeared out of nowhere, fingers fumbling with the strips of cloth around his mouth or his lips dangerous close to hers.

He had to give her credit for her effort. No matter how much he increased her training by, she always found time to try again, each failure only adding fuel to the fire. Least she was keeping him on his toes. One of the downsides to being the only stealth fighter in a world of powerhouses was that he didn't have that constant threat overhead to keep his skills sharp.

The blonde midget who made it her life's goal to repay Zabuza for saving her life with her first kiss among other things was the closest thing he had to a group of hunter-nims keeping him in shape.

Frankly he could decide which was a scarier prospect, death by hunter-nim or death by Haku. Haku, the girl who was being an outspoken supporter of Mittelt's antics. Haku, who was rather evasive whenever he asked her what she was doing.

The whole situation was a minefield that he felt would be better remedied with a simple 'yes' or 'no'. If his queen was perfectly willing to let Mittelt fill out her desires, fine. Zabuza would do it just to calm the girl down. He was a practical man after all. Kiss the girl, shut her up, move on with his life.

But if the answer was no. He'd stick to his guns until the teasing had finished or Mittelt gave up. He'd would be hard pressed to say he 'loved' Haku, just as he'd be hard pressed to say he 'loved' anyone in his life. He did, as much as a demon could, but years of emotional suppression do not just disappear completely, and saying it out loud to anyone other than himself or Haku, herself seemed like exposing a weakness. So, he'd stay quiet and deal with constantly double-checking the lock on the bathroom door, possibly getting a deadbolt for the damn thing, as well as throwing Mittelt out of his room from her various hiding places till things blew over.

Unaware of her King's mental dispute, Raynare shook her head, resolving to get the sets down in two weeks to eek out another compliment. After all, Haku's advice was 'Zabuza values loyalty and hard-work. And his rewards are.. generous.' _And if that little look she gave me meant anything, she approves of…_

"Keep it up. Remember, there is no such thing as shitty steel, only poor swordsmiths. Whatever idiot was in charge of training you as fallen angels would have been charged with treason if I had a say in the matter.."

"Uh.. sir.. there wasn't any formal training among the Grigori.." Raynare corrected Zabuza, who only sighed.

"The idiots call this a war.. it's more like a bunch of petty slap fighting… the Leaf would have a field day with this sort of fighting." He mumbled under his breath before giving Raynare one last pat on the head to send her off. Now he got to deal with the blonde devil. _Lovely._

* * *

Haku was having the time of her life as she instructed Kalawarner on how to properly throw sendon. Things were going according to plan, she had three new friends to spend time with and best of all, she had the perfect chance to let Zabuza stew.

It was a rare thing to catch her partner off guard, but one thing she could always poke a little fun at is his new found loyalty to her.

So she'd give it another week or two of Mittelt advances and his only slightly pleading looks for help, or her to do anything. But no. This was much too fun. Besides, Mittelt gave her these cute little puppy eyes when she asked for her help. How could she say no to that? Haku crumbled like a wet paper bag.

Anyways, she died as a virgin in her past life, so by her logic, the universe owed her at least twice as much sex as the average person. Sure Zabuza had stamina for days, but natural curiosity and a need to see just how many women her partner could handle at once, drove her to come up with a devious plan involving a certain shark-toothed swordsman and as many women as Haku could get on board.

"Haku." Kalawarner dragged a reluctant ice queen back to reality from her visions of a little blonde with a tail and dog ears or a glorious orgy of flesh involving herself and any of the willing pawns. Haku filed both thoughts away for a birthday or christmas present at a later date. Specifically her own.

"Yes?"

"I don't think I'm doing it right…" The tallest of the pawns muttered as she looked at the massive spread of her shots, only a third of which having hit the target.

"Practice. Anything can be achieved with enough practice. You are getting better though…" Haku did her best to cheer the taller woman up, but she still had a look of hesitation. "Besides, you could always ask Zabuza for some.. _Private_ training."

"I don't think I need that much help.." Kalwarner did her best to deadpan a response but the tint of pink in her cheeks ruined the effect.

"Oh alright, now come on. I know you can do better, so let's see a few more tries."

Kalawarner took her stance, left foot forward, right foot back, body twisted with a few strands of navy blue hair in her eye as she reached into the pouch at her lower back with both hands. _Alright, deep breathes. Remember what Haku said. Learning to fight is like building a house. You need a solid foundation before you can put in any of the fancy decorations._

A quick glance at the target range to judge distance and the pawn was off. Right hand first,quickly followed by the left with a flick of the wrist and the sound of steel biting into wood just above the bulls-eye.

"Just like that! Now do it again." Haku cheered as her thoughts ran wild. Give them a year, and Zabuza's pawns alone would be a force to be reckoned with. "I want ten hits in a row before we are done tonight, then you can finally get some sleep."

"Ugh.." Kalawarner didn't bother to hide the groan as she settled back into her stance. "Yes, boss lady."

"Oooh.. I rather like that. But don't think it'll get you out of training~" Haku's smile couldn't get brighter as she observed Kalawarner, occasionally offering advice or encouragement till her pocket vibrated. Specifically, her phone.

_Oh my.. didn't think she'd take such.. drastic measures.._ Haku shook her head as she read over the message, typing out her reply to Gremory girl. It'd been a quiet week, so something had to happen sooner or later, but this? This was too good to pass up.

_Good thing I haven't made dinner yet..._

* * *

Zabuza gave his pillow a quick punch to fluff it up before laying down, already feeling a bit drowsy from a night of instructing and his own training. The kicker was Haku's food. Chili. Hot, spicy and meaty chili.

He had a love-hate relationship with spicy food. He enjoyed the taste, but it always made him drowsy and harder to focus if he ate it too close to bed, like he just did. It didn't bother him too much though, if anyone broke in, Haku could deal with them, and if she couldn't, the noise of a struggle would be more than enough to wake him up, spice induced sleep or otherwise.

So, with that in mind, he closed his eyes, adjusting the blanket on the couch one last time before he drifted off debating whether it'd be better to buy a new house or kick the girls out of _his_ bed.

_Worry tomorrow, sleep now._

* * *

"Zabuza…" A dreamy, light voice was calling out to him, and he could feel the weight of someone straddling his waist.

"Zabuza~" The voice called out again.

_Even if it's Haku, I'm throwing her upstairs, I've had enough of these mixed messages for one day..._

"Zabuza~" A third time the voice gently called to him as it shook his shoulder.

_Fine, I'm up, I'm up. What? _Zabuza removed the arm over his eyes as he let them briefly adjust to the light.

_Oh sweet.. it's too god damn early for this._ He ignored the wince of pain at the mention of Him, to take another look, just to make sure this wasn't a dream brought along by eating too late.

But no, straddling his waist, with only a thin blanket separating them was a very real Rias Gremory. A very real, and very naked Rias Gremory, with a 'come hither' look on her face.

_That's it, I'm going back to sleep. _"And good night." Zabuza brought his arm back up, relishing in the familiar pressure before the darkness claimed him. Or so he hoped.

**An: **Ello ello, and happy holidays to all. Another chapter to enjoy in this season of snow and sharing. And for those of you a bit set of by the chapter ending, do not worry, it's exactly what you think it is- I mean. Maybe. Probably. Who knows? Me, but that's not the point. So, this is just a heads up to the future but after the phenex game, the Zabuza Peerage will be going off on it's own little adventure for a bit. So, OC villains and adventures will pop up. Tis but a warning for any who care.

Anyways, hope you all are having a good holiday, if not, I hoped this chapter at least brought a tiny smile to your face~ If not, I give you the gift of a shameless self promotion on my other story that I started a few days ago (I swear, for christmas Santa is bringing me a shock collar that jolts me whenever I attempt to write a chapter of something other than my in-progress stories. And I'd probably wear it for the sake of productivity) Illusions in Strength, a Harry Potter crossover with Bleach that focuses on the relationship between a teenage Barragan and Harribel. A story I desperately need to come up with a better summary for.

In other news~ Have a good day and I shall see you all later~


	9. Ninth Move I

_Well.. I certainly expected more…_ Rias looked down at Zabuza before she leaned down, whispering in a voice she hoped sounded seductive and alluring. "It's rather rude to keep a lady waiting. Especially when she's so _willing._"

"It's also rude to break into another person's house before the sun is up… just because I can survive with only two hours of sleep, a day doesn't mean I enjoy it" He shot back.

"So when a beautiful women is laying on top of you, stark naked, begging you to take her then and there, your first response is to go back to sleep?"

"Yes."

"Am I not good enough for you?" Rias moved Zabuza's arms so he had to actually look at her. Guilt tripping him into having sex with her wasn't her preferred tactic, but after Grayia shot down her attempt with Issei, the Gremory heir was starting to feel a bit desperate.

"Yes, now with all due disrespect, good night." Zabuza closed his eyes and attempted to block out the world. The girl's training with Senjutsu began tomorrow and he wanted to be well rested for anything that might happen.

_That stung.._ But Rias was anything if not stubborn, so she began to kiss her way down his neck, praying that the magazines she read in advance would help. "You know how much I'll owe you for this right. How good we could feel together? You and me, getting all hot and sweaty. The things I could do to you. Or are you scared?"

When in doubt, poke the most dangerous and temperamental of beasts. The male ego.

Zabuza cracked one eye open at the barb. "I don't think that's the point. I am not your perverted little pawn. The fact you are here. In my house. At who knows what time of night, offering what I can only assume is your virginity to me, throws up so many red flags, I could start a tacky marching band or other waste of time..."

"Well it's not like you were my first choice.." She mumbled before sitting back up. If Zabuza was a lesser man, he'd have been entranced by the way her breasts bounced in the darkness, nipples peeking out in the cold, but he wasn't, and all it did was remind him of the fact that he wanted to sleep, and instead he had what could be described as a ticking time bomb straddling to his waist. "I'll pay you?"

"I didn't think I needed to explain the difference between a mercenary and a sidewalk whore to someone your age. Besides even if I were to consider taking that..._job._" He said the word as if it was a personal insult. "I wouldn't do it for.. I can't believe, I, me, of all people, is using this excuse.. Moral reasons."

"Haku said she was fine with it." That shut him up. Mostly.

"And I don't believe you."

Rias shuffled off Zabuza's body, taking her time to stretch and show off as much of her body as possible to an uncaring Zabuza before she walked into the kitchen. She'd placed her phone on the counter just for this very situation.

It took a moment but she found the thread of messages she was looking for. "And checkmate." Rias handed him the phone as she crossed her arms, propping up her chest. This whole thing was a blow to her pride, but she'd manage if it broke the contract. _Still, would it kill him to at least pretend like he cares?_

"Can I talk… need help… breaking my engagement… sleep with someone.. so long as Zabuza agrees, I have no issue?" Well there it was. All spelled out before him. It was certainly Haku's number. He'd been offered up on a silver platter so long as he consented.

"I'm really starting to hate you Gremory.." He sighed as he put the phone down onto the table. He could feel a headache coming on, the fact that Rias was back to sitting on him doing little to relieve him of it. "Look. Why don't you just challenge him to a rating game for your freedom?"

"Because he's a Phenex." Rias responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I know how strong my peerage is. I trust Akeno with my life, I know Koneko and Kiba will throw themselves in front of a sword for me, but it's not a fight we could win without a miracle.."

"So, you have to go with the other option… I understand why you don't want to marry Riser. He's a prick, but why go to this extreme?" Zabuza motioned to himself and a naked Rias at the mention of 'this' with a free hand.

"You do realize that if word gets out we fucked, you aren't the only one who's going to get in shit. If anything, the Phenex clan is going to be demanding my head on a pike. And while I wish to fight your brother, I'm going to do it on my terms. Terms that don't include him enraged from making his little sister seem like a slut." He continued before glaring up at Rias.

"So. Give me a reason. Why should I help you? Why should I go through the trouble? Why do you fight? Why, should I, give a damn?"

"Because I'll pay you whatever you want-" Rias yelped as Zabuza shifted and faster than she could react, she was pinned to the couch with Zabuza looming over her, with a dangerous smile on his face. _Since when did he have shark teeth?! _Not that he didn't pull them off with a dangerous and appealing aura, but something like serrated teeth aren't easily hidden.

Zabuza ignored the sight of Rias struggling to get free, her wrists held in place above her head by just one of his hands. "Wrong answer women. Now, why don't you try again before I decide to stop playing nice."

He leaned forward to whisper the next part, the shiver running down Rias's spine more than enough petty vengeance for now. "And a bit of advice for next time. Only, negotiate, if you have the stronger position. Or who knows, someone might just take _advantage_ of you.."

Having taken his little bit of revenge, Zabuza removed his head from the crook of Rias's neck to look at her. She was a bit shaken by the turn of events, but she refused to show it. _Good, she's got spunk. More than can be said for most._

"I want people to see me as me." Rias spoke up, as if challenging Zabuza to talk back. For now he kept quiet. "I'm always seen as Rias Gremory. Even you refer to me by that stupid name. I want to show them all I'm more than just that. I want to be more than Rias the political marriage, Rias the little sister of a Satan. I want them to look at me, for me. Is that so wrong?"

"Yes."

"W-what?!" Rias started before Zabuza's free hand covered her mouth. The last thing he needed right now was to wake up his pawns. Raynare and Kalawarner would probably have a few awkward questions to ask, while Mittelt, knowing her, would want to join in on the perceived fun.

"I expected something more than a little girl standing on a soap box screaming for attention. I thought you better than someone who cared for the opinion of sheep." Zabuza ignored the glare being sent his way as he removed his hand. The last thing he wanted was a bite wound as the insult cherry on top.

"I. Don't. Want. Attention. I want respect." Rias ground out, getting a short laugh from the swordsman.

"Then why are you here, begging for me to bend you over my counter and fuck you like a common tramp? Don't ask me for something stupid like that. If you are going to sell your soul to a demon, at least have the balls to ask for the power to choose your own destiny."

"Fine." Rias shot up in a quick burst of strength to get back on top, looking down on at a rather smug looking devil. The image of an angry and naked women with a glowing red spell o'doom pointed at his face was far more appealing.

_What can I say. I like my partners like my swords. With a backbone of steel and a lethal edge to them._

"Now, if this was what I woke up to. I'd be far more open to the idea of ravishing you. Would still ask for dinner and a movie first, but that's cause I'm the romantic old prude." Zabuza lied through his teeth, not at all bothered by the change in position.

Rias blinked then went back to glaring at the annoying man. her patience having run out. "Funny. Now, are you going to help me or not? And if so, for how much."

"Yes, and for free."

"Stop playing with me Gaap. I'm not in the mood for your games. You spent a week keeping tabs on my peerage, you saved a group of fallen angels who killed my pawn not once but twice, saying all you wanted was a chance to spare, and now you are just screwing with me for the sake of it. So. Straight answer. Why are you helping me?"

Zabuza shrugged in disinterest. "Same reason I saved the fallen angels. You are useful to me. If the Gremory Heir owes me a favor, great. If said Gremory has a Longinus under her command, better. Haku seems to have a soft spot for you, so I'm rather forced to help. Or as I've said before. I have this annoying habit of picking up broken birds. Makes me a regular old saint."

_And if a certain perverted idiot so happens to disappear in battle one day, and Haku by some wacky and twisted quirk of fate picks up his Sacred Gear, well… Terrible things happen to good people._

"Alright.. well.." Rias was at an impasse. She wasn't sure what to do next. Thankfully Zabuza did.

It mostly involved pushing Rias off of himself so she was seated on the couch before throwing a blanket over her. "Now, my suggestion is in the morning you send Riser a formal challenge to annual the engagement. Get a few days, a week or two if possible, for training and make sure you can bring in two extras to the fight. Phenex is enough of an arrogant bastard he'll probably accept, if not make something up that'll piss him off. Just don't tell him you lost your virginity. That's an entire can of worms I don't feel like opening. An annoyed immortal makes mistakes, an enraged one is a pain in the ass."

Zabuza stood up to take the short walk over to the other couch before dropping onto it with a groan. "You can sleep here if you want, or you can head home, just be sure to close the door. I don't care either way, but get some rest. You are not going to be enjoying the next few days Gremory."

With that said, Zabuza closed his eyes for the last time that night, only to be interrupted again by a quiet voice from across the room.

"Zabuza.."

"What?" _This is just getting ridiculous.._

"Thanks.. for helping."

"You can thank me by getting some damn sleep, or once we've actually won. So, good night Rias." _I would kill for my Ipod right now…_

* * *

Rias looked at the sleeping swordsman, trying to figure out what was going through his head. Very little made sense right now, and she had this nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she was missing a few key pieces to the puzzle across from her.

First was his attitude. _One minute he's ready to kill me, the next he's offering me help.._

Second was his skill. Her tactical skills were screaming at her that he was hiding something, that for all that swagger and threats were something he could back up on a moments notice, but she had no proof.

Which brought her to the crux of the matter. Zabuza was an enigma. There were only three confirmed facts she could use when dealing with him. He was a recluse. Prior to attending the academy, any sighting of the Gaap Heir was a ghost story. Well aside from one incident.

The disappearance of an entire peerage. A human who was reincarnated into a devil. Managed to get work his way through the ranks to High-Class and let the power get to his head. One of the Satan's threw a party and in a rare show the Gaap Heir attended, accompanied by his new, solo piece.

From there things got murky. Some say the Reincarnated Devil made some rather.. lewd overpasses to Haku, while others talked about Zabuza throwing the first punch. No one really knew. All Rias knew was that the reincarnated Devil left the party with a broken nose while swearing to get revenge on a twelve year old Zabuza for the embarrassment.

And as cliche as it sounded, even in her mind, the devil with a broken nose was never heard from again. As if they never existed in the first place.

Zabuza's words came back to her. 'If I had any hand in this, Issei's corpse would have been fish food for the past four days and you'd have no idea I was even involved, much less that Issei was even dead. No, He'd simply. Fade into the mist. After all.. I'm a professional.'

A rather chilling thought.. _Still.. I'll keep an eye on him.. two people can play at whatever you're up to Gaap.._

And the fact he was a rather attractive man would simply make the observation that much sweeter.

**AN: An alternate title for this chapter could be 'Zero Fucks' for various reasons. Regardless~ I hope you all enjoyed the chapter~ I know I look forward to the Riser fight for secret reasons~. And for those of you disappointed that Rias and Zabuza didn't do the do, I simply say patience. That stuff will come in time. Until then~ Hope you all have a good new year and I shall see you next time.**

**On a side note, I've more or less finished picking out Zabuza's full peerage. So that's a thing that'll be worked in eventually. Feel free to guess who is in what role.**


	10. Tenth Move I

_Not again..._ Zabuza groaned as he was overcome with a strange sense of deja vu at the weight of someone straddling him. _If it's Gremory, I'm killing her.._

"Good morning." Haku smiled down at Zabuza as he cracked an eye open to glare at her. The fact she was at least wearing one of his t-shirts, instead of following Gremory's example was a small blessing he was thankful for.

_Thank Kami for small mercies._ He thought.

"You." Zabuza brought a hand up to massage the bridge of his nose as he collected his thoughts before putting it back down by his side. "Are in a lot of trouble, Missy."

Haku leaned forward, giving the newly awoken teen a chaste kiss with a playful smile. "Oh? And are you going to punish me?" She didn't pull back as she felt Zabuza's hands come up to give her bare ass a possessive squeeze.

"Yes. Now get dressed, get Gremory the fuck out of my house and tell the girls they have the day off." As he spoke, Zabuza traced one hand up Haku's spine, suppressing a smile as she shivered under his touch. Once his hand was behind her neck, he pulled her closer for a passionate kiss.

They stayed connected for a few moments, Zabuza not letting Haku pull away as their tongues intertwined and battled for dominance in each others mouth. Finally Zabuza let his queen go, smirking at her flushed face and breathless expression. "You seem to be enjoying your punishment a little too much.." He teased.

"I aim to please Sir." Haku grinned as she sat back up, not trusting her self to have the control necessary to stop if she went any further. _Zabuza's orders come before personal pleasure._

"Good. Now up. I have to send the twins a message before you get a proper reprimand."

He had to chuckle at the small pout Haku gave him, before he pushed her onto the couch.

"Don't look at me like that. You'll have my _full_ attention for hours to come." Zabuza whispered in her ear.

"Tease.." Haku gave him one last peck on the cheek before standing up. As loathe as she was to admit it, work came before pleasure.

_Now to find my damn phone..._ Zabuza thought as he cracked his neck.

* * *

"Mittelt... what are you doing?"

The small blonde ignored Kalawarner and her curious look as she continued to press her ear to the door of the only bedroom in the house, imagination going wild. _This is far more important than talking to the hag!_

Curiosity peaked, the eldest pawn walked over towards the door, moving a strand of hair out of the way as she pressed against the cool wood. It took her a moment for her hearing to adjust to the quiet and muffled sounds, and took her even longer to figure out exactly what she was listening to. The pervert. In retrospect, the faint blush on Mittelt's face, and the fact they were standing outside Zabuza's locked room should have clued her in.

"Wh-wh-wha-!?" Kalawarner started before Mittelt jumped up to silence her with a pair of hands firmly over her mouth.

Right now, the blonde's greatest priority was allowing this to go uninterrupted.

"Shh... shut your mouth. They are just getting to the good part!" Mittelt whisper-yelled at her peeping companion, blue eyes glaring up at the taller women who'd regained her composure. Mostly.

"Ho-.. How long have they been in there?" Kalawarner just had to ask as Mittelt slid back to the door.

"What time is it?" The blonde whispered back.

"Little after one, why?"

"Bout 3 hours then..."

Kalawarner blinked, caught between worry for Haku and a sense of jealousy that she did her best to smother with various curse words in her own mind. _I am not jealous!_

"Move over."

It was Mittelt's turn to raise an eyebrow, not needing to voice the question.

"Because. He is my master... and well...a girl wants to make sure he doesn't hurt himself! It's not like I care or anything!" The bluenette snapped quietly.

Mittelt grinned like a cat that caught a particularly juicy mouse, but didn't say a word as she slid over to allow the other women her space.

Which is exactly how Raynare found them thirty minutes later. She had the sense not to ask why her friends were standing outside Zabuza's room, instead she just knelt down to take a listen for herself, freezing with shock once she heard a particularly loud moan.

So there they stood. The first out of a perverted sense of victory that her master wasn't wasting that perfect body of his with celibacy, and plots to make sure she had her turn. The second stayed locked in a mental debate with herself on what she was feeling, against what she should be feeling. The last of the trio just sat there blushing, listening and wishing she was on the other side of the door.

Later, on their way to meet up with the Gremory Peerage, Zabuza would wonder why Mittelt had the biggest grin on her face, while Kalawarner and Raynare couldn't bring themselves to look him in the eye with their beat red faces, the number six seeming to be the current topic of discussion.

* * *

Rias was rather happy with herself. She may not have managed to break her engagement, but she had a good feeling. It had taken her four encounters with the boy, but she could see something in his eyes. Something she and the rest of her peerage lacked.

Not that the fact bothered her, since she enjoyed Koneko as her quiet, snack eating self. Or Akeno as she teased, acting as the clubs older sister. Issei as the adorable little pervert, or Kiba as a perfect gentleman. Even Asia, who'd joined them for such a short time had worked her way into Rias's heart. So no, she would not want to see the spark of a soldier in their eyes.

_No.. not a soldier.. _The glint was too wild, too chaotic for a professional soldier, but too cold and uncaring for a warrior like her cousin. Zabuza was an assassin in her mind. Which meant he was to be handled with care, since his loyalties went to the highest bidder.

"Yen for your thoughts Prez?" Akeno said, handing the red-head her tea, with a soft smile. She and the rest of the occult research club had already been informed of both Rias's marriage situation, as well as Zabuza's involvement. To say Issei was not pleased was an understatement, but he accepted it grudgingly after a bit of convincing from Asia.

_That girl truly is a saint..._ The blonde had already seemed to forgive the fallen angels for not trying to kill her, but actually getting away with it. Rias just shrugged at her queen's question, looking over the quiet scene of her peerage relaxing in the club room. Koneko munching on a some snacks, Kiba reading, and her two newest additions happily chatting away on the other couch.

"Just wishing that Gaap would show up..." The more time she wasted, meant the worst off her chances of breaking the engagement were. She'd sent the challenge first thing this morning, so it was only a matter of time that Riser sent his reply.

As if summoned by her words, a glowing magical circle appeared in the clubroom. _Finally._ The Gremory Heir thought with relief before it turned red, flames pouring out of it.

_Fu- _Rias swore in her mind as Riser and his entire peerage appeared in her clubroom. Riser himself wore a look of such smug superiority that she wanted to vomit.

He stepped forward, arms wide in that tacky red blazer of his. "Rias! How lovely to see you, I just thought I'd drop by and congratulate you on pulling such a great practical joke on my father and I."

"It wasn't a joke Riser. I'm not marrying you. Ten days from now, your peerage against mine." _With a bit of outside help of course. _Rias smiled to herself as the smirk on Riser's face faulted. _He must have actually thought it was a joke._

Riser took a step forward with a chuckle, only for Koneko and Kiba to block his path. "You can stop playing now Rias. It was funny the first time, and amusing the second time, but really. Why would anyone want to turn down me?" The blonde threw back his head, in a pose he probably thought dramatic as the entirety of his peerage, minus one, swooned on themselves.

Asia held Issei back from punching 'the enemy of all poor men everywhere' as the blonde continued. "It's cute how you've always played hard to get, but don't worry. In a few weeks, even after this little play fight of yours, I'll be able to show you the pleasures of being a women with a real man. You'd be a lovely addition to my harem. I'll even get rid of these pigs for you." Riser waved his hand over at a blank faced Kiba and an irritated Issei.

"Who do you think you are thinking you can just treat Prez's virginity like it's a damn Pokemon to be caught!" Issei snapped, only to get the business end of a wooden staff in his throat from a girl with blue hair.

"Don't you dare talk to Lord Riser like that you scum!"

"Now Mira, don't worry." Riser came up to the girls side, lifting her chin up to give her a rather impassioned kiss in full view for everyone to see. "I can take care of swine myself. Wouldn't want you to dirty your hands with filth."

The blonde turned to glare down at a coughing Issei. "Well scum, I hope you enjoy the last five seconds of your life. Insulting a high-class devil such as myself is punishable by death!" Riser shot a ball of flame in the pawns direction, only for it to be stopped by Kiba's interference, his blade absording the flicker heat.

"Riser! Those are members of my peerage! You will stop this instant or else!" Rias threatened, even as she prayed for Zabuza's arrival to help even the odds. Yes, what Riser was doing would be frowned upon and punished, but in the long run it wouldn't ruin his engagement to her. Devil laws were rather sexist and unfair in some ways after all.

Riser just shrugged as more flames appeared in his hands. In his mind he had two options. He could listen to Rias and back down. An action that just didn't sit well with him. He was a Phenex. He was immortal. He wasn't going to back down just cause some women told him too. The far more preferable option was kill off the pigs now. Would make things easier for this farce of a rating game, and it'd show Rias that he was serious bout her.

_Yes. That works._ Riser raised both hands with a wicked grin as more fire appeared. "Sorry Rias, I didn't hear you. You want me to burn them to a crisp? Happily."

The spell had barely left his hand before Riser found his arms bound in chains. Chains in the shape of shuriken that connected two cloaked figures.

"Told you we had enough time to stop at WacDonald's for a burger." The one on the left spoke in a metallic voice, the majority their faces obscured by a large black re-breather connected to a metal band over their forehead. The one on the right had a single horn attached to the center of his headband, while the one who spoke first had two.

"You say as we barely arrive in time to protect the customer." Said the second figure in a similarly mechanical voice, their tattered grey cloak covering up the entirety of their body, aside from the part slightly lift to show they each held one end of the chain as it dug into Riser's flesh. "Boss would kill us if we lost one of the customers so early."

"Ah fuck.. good point... well screw it. Everyone's safe, so what's the point of worrying? Aside from fried chicken boy here, the rest are small fries... Man.. Think Boss will feed us after this. I'm starved for some reason.." One-horn motioned with his head to the Phenex peerage who were chomping at the bit to attack the two idiots who dared raise their hand against their master. Riser for his part just kept his look of smug superiority up, laughing internally at the foolishness of thinking they could beat him.

"... How am I to know? Focus on the job. Boss said he'd be running late since Haku needed to be 'punished'. His words not mine."

Rias wasn't sure how someone who sounded like they were talking with a tin can over their mouth could sound so deadpan, but there it was. _But they said Haku.. so they must be part of Zabuza's peerage!_ Finally, some reinforcements.

"Damn. She gets all the luck... so..." One-Horn glanced at Riser. "Turkey-Dinner. We going to play nice or am I going to have to cook your goose?"

"Now you're just taunting him. And stop with the food puns. I don't want my last meal before Boss kills us to be chicken nuggets bigger than Phenex's balls, or his brain. The metaphor works both ways, really."

That was the straw that broke the camels back as a pair of girls with cat ears charged forward, not going to take another insult to their master lying down.

"Just die!"

"You scum!"

They screamed in unison as they jumped up, fists on a collision course with the masked intruders faces, even as they heard their master grunt in pain as his arms were torn off. The intruders sidestepped the enraged swipes with ease, cloaks swaying in the wind as One-Horn's right hand, and Two-Horn's left hand rose into view to reveal a set of large clawed gauntlets.

One-Horn and Two-Horn were a work of symmetry as they spun on their heels, grabbing the cat-eared twins by the back of their head, smiling under their masks at the screams of pain as they squeezed their metallic hands. But they weren't done yet. Their master had taught them long ago that if you were going to give someone a warning, it was always best to go overboard, rather than have it fall flat.

So Riser could only watch as he got his fire ready to immolate the intruders into the afterlife as they charged each other, still with a firm grip on his pawns head. The sound they made as the cat girl's faces were smashed together were something he'd remember for days to come.

"Next." The masked duo said in unison as they unceremoniously tossed the unconscious pair of girls to the floor like a set of used rags. The didn't even blink at the blood that was soaking into the carpet as it leaked out of what remained of the girls noses.

"No. No 'next'. This foolishness stops now." A new voice spoke up. Calm, cold and familiar to Riser and Rias. "Riser. You will take your peerage and leave. Any more of your foolishness and I will be forced to inform your father."

Riser just glared at the silver-haired woman as Grayfia turned her attention to the cloaked figures. "And you two will leave the premises of this school. By choice, or by casket."

One-horn just blew out a breath. "And who are you to kick us out? We don't take orders from grannies. Boss was invited here for a meeting, and since we can no longer have any fun with Ham-Sandwich over there, you can shove off."

"That wasn't even closely related to poultry." Two-Horns put in as the collective jaws dropped.

"You know as well as I do that we only have one job. Kill whoever the Boss tells us to, and protect whoever he tells us to. Making creative insults is not on that list."

"Isn't that two jobs?" Asia said before One-Horn gave her an amused glance.

"What can I say. Counting isn't one of my jobs either."

"If you are done..." Rias started, deciding she'd better take care of the situation before even more damage was done to both her clubroom or her allies. "Big Sis. They are with me, and only interfered because Riser," She shot him a glare, only getting a blown kiss in response. "Tried to kill my pawn and my knight. It was an act of self defense."

Not completely the truth, but more than close enough.

"I see." Grayfia turned to the Phenex Peerage. "And what are you still doing here? I suggest you leave before I lodge a formal complaint to your father. I'm sure Lord Phenex would be delighted to hear how one of his sons had been acting."

With that threat hanging over his head, two of his peerage grabbed the mangled twins before beating a hasty retreat. Of course, Riser couldn't go without a parting shot.

"Rias. I suggest you spend the next few days shopping for wedding dresses. After that, I will enjoy breaking you of your rebellious spirit, till you beg for it."

One-Horn responded with a holy knife pressed to the pricks throat. The look of surprise on his face would be a welcome memory for later. "The only one begging for a cock around here will be you after we cut it off, rooster boy."

Not having a clever response ready, Riser made the wise decision of retreating for now, shortly followed by Grayfia, wishing her sister-in-law 'good luck' with one last warning glare to the cloaked strangers.

The tense atmosphere was quickly replaced with awkward silence before Two-Horns spoke up. "Greetings. Boss will be along shortly."

Those words did nothing as the two groups stood staring at each other, not sure how to proceed.

**An:** Yo. So a little bit longer cause I was a little late with the update. Seemed only fair. Anyways! I'm sure you can all guess who just showed up. I'm actually looking forward to more fight scenes with these two cause of what I have planned out. But that's a spoiler for next chapter or so. As usual, thoughts, comments, concerns. I welcome it all!

On an unrelated side note, I'm thinking of writing a one-shot for Fire-Emblem/Naruto Crossover with Zabuza and Tharja (cause I've been replaying it lately, and remembering how great Tharja is. Parenting skills aside.) Not sure if I will or not, since most one shots I do (Aside from Hey Boss!, which got a ton more attention than I thought it would.) {The usual self plugging aside.}

Anyways, closing thoughts. I need to do some more practice and stuff with fight scenes, and to stop being such a damn tease with the promised sex scenes. In that vain, the 'training' episodes will probably be the next one or two chapters, than finally the Riser vs Rias rating game as one longer third chapter. In conclusion, thanks for your time and hope you all have a good day :) See ya later~


	11. Eleventh Move I

"Dare I ask?" Zabuza cocked an eyebrow at the scene before him.

Issei was laid out on the couch, head in Asia's lap as the remainder of Occult Research club stood around their president, staring down the pair of cloaked figures. The clubroom had seen better days, with scorch marks and charred carpet.

"We just want to say." Two-Horn spoke up as he turned on his heels to face Zabuza.

"It wasn't our fault." One-Horn finished as he too turned, bowing his head slightly.

Rias watched as her fellow King nodded, tossing a paper bag to Two-Horn, while holding out a WacDonald's drink to One-Horn, who took it with a small thank you. Eventually he turned to look at the red-head.

"Phenex?"

She simply nodded, allowing the Gaap Peerage to pile in to the clubroom.

_What's up with them? _Rias wondered as she noticed Zabuza's three pawns seemed unwilling to meet his gaze, and were doing their best to imitate the color of her hair.

"Haku won't be joining us?" Akeno asked, curious as the noticeable absence of the queen piece. If anything the three pawn's faces grew even brighter, with Mittelt bursting into a fit of giggles. Kalawarner stopped her with a quick smack to the back of her head.

"Haku." Zabuza began as he took his seat in the center of the couch, One-Horn and Two Horn not even hesitating to take the place by his side. "Is too..."

He choose his words carefully, as Akeno enjoyed the rising blush on the Trio's face. "Tired to attend. Besides, if in the event Phenex was stupid enough to attack me. I have these two idiots to deal with morons like him." He said as he stretched his arms out to rest on the couch.

"See, told you he loves us." Two-Horns said as he looked through the bag like it held untold treasures.

"The constant insults and abuse just prove it." The smirk could be heard in One-Horn's altered voice as he snuggled up close to the uniform wearing assassin, drawing the jealousy of not one, not two but three former angels.

"Boss is such a Tsundere."

"Agreed. Probably left Haku in a pile of pleased mush."

"Boss will also kick you two smart mouths out on the street for the night if he hears another wise crack. You two are almost as bad as Haku." Zabuza let out a long suffering sigh as he gave the twins a half-hearted glare. In response they just took off their re-breathers to enjoy their snack.

Mittelt hid a giggle behind a discrete cough, as the former angels took their seats on the couch. Raynare and Kalawarner sat next to One-Horn and Two-Horn respectively, while Mittelt was pushed to the floor for trying to sit in Zabuza's lap.

The Occult Research club's reactions to the conversation was mixed. Rias ignored the chatter, anxious to get down to business. Asia was too busy fussing over Issei to care, while the pawn did his best to not think bout a naked Haku. He didn't have any definitive proof of what Zabuza would do to him if he allowed his mind to wander, but it wasn't going to be something as easily walked off as the beatings from the Kendo club. Kiba kept up his polite smile, as Akeno seemed to be bouncing in place wanting to hear some dirty details. Koneko just stared at the cloaked twins, watching them with interest.

"Tsundere~" The twins said in their distorted tone before Two-Horns started picking at the fries, while One-Horn drank the shake.

"And you are late because you stopped for lunch?" Rias asked, her tone laced with ice. Zabuza just shrugged it off.

"Blame it on the poor service industry." Zabuza shrugged off the reprimand with ease. "But enough screwing around. Time to talk business."

"Without introducing us to your companions?" Kiba asked.

"Gozu." One-Horn raised a hand in greeting at Zabuza's clipped introduction. "And Meizu." Two-Horn flipped Kiba off with his free hand as he continued to snack, prompting a small smack to the back of his head from Zabuza. "Be polite. They are customers."

_Or in other words, Suckers. _Zabuza thought with a hidden smirk.

"Getting soft there boss, that one barely even stun-" Meizu was cut off by a second smack, as Gozu quietly drank his shake. At least Gozu was wise enough to keep quiet and listen to orders the first time.

"If you are done?" Rias was starting to wish that Zabuza's subordinates were as professional as the man himself.

"Mm.. now. How long do we have until the match, where are we training and finally, we have to talk payment."

"I was under the impression that we'd already discussed payment." Rias could feel her face heating up as memories of the last night came back to her, only to fight the embarrassment back down.

"Yes, we did. But I have an alteration to the terms. I help you win. I get my payment, and fate willing, that is the end of our business together. We go back to being nothing more than classmates for a week or two, till something else happens to force our interaction."

"You make it sound as if we're stuck with each other..." Rias thought the reworking of the agreement over for a moment. So far all of Zabuza's requests had been weird but fair. _The least I can do is hear him out._"What do you want as payment?"

She realized she'd walked into a trap the moment she met his eyes. They'd gone from relaxed, to the cold, calculating look that so unnerved her.

Zabuza cracked his neck as he leaned forward to stare into Rias's eyes. "Two small things. Nothing expensive, or even time consuming. You are friends with Sona Sitri, correct?" Rias just nodded, not sure what her childhood friend had to do with anything. "Then for the first payment, I want you to talk to her about her sister. Find out as much as you can bout Serafall and her peerage. Nothing special. I don't want techniques, or weaknesses. I just want names, favorite food, regular hang outs, anything that you are willing to give."

"And if she isn't willing to give me those details."

"Your problem, not mine." Zabuza shrugged. "As for the second part. It's rather similar to the first-."

Rias could see where the conversation was going as she interrupted. "You want details on my brother's peerage as well, don't you." The red-head couldn't see the actual smile, but she knew it was there under the scarf.

"Yes. That is my price. Rather reasonable don't you think? A bit of info for a fan of Satan Pink and Satan Red and you get your freedom."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I'll enjoy the chance to buy Haku and the rest of my peerage some new formal wear. I've never been to a wedding before, but I hear they are quite fun." Zabuza's thoughts echo'd her own. Without his assistance she was doom.

"Fine." Rias said with a sigh, cursing herself, Zabuza and in particular Raiser for forcing her into this position. _At least big brother is strong enough that giving a few things away won't make too much of a difference. As for Sona.. I'll talk to her tonight. _There was something in the back of her mind that was screaming at her. That from the start all Zabuza had been asking for was seemingly inconsequential bits and pieces, was just so suspicious, she couldn't get a read on his intentions.

Zabuza leaned back on the couch. "Good, now what is your plan?"

* * *

"Uuugh.. why must these packs be so heavy..." Mittelt whined as she struggled up the mountain path. The Occult Research club had arrived the day before to get a head start on their training, while the Gaap peerage by Zabuza's order took a day off to regroup and rest.

After all, in his own words 'The only one who'd be enjoying the next 13 days would be him'. _The damn muscle bound sadist..._ The petite blonde thought as she put one foot in front of the the other to make her way forward.

"This thing's as heavy as Raynare's fat ass.." She'd barely made it another ten steps before the next complaint spilled out, a bit louder than intended.

"Better my perfect ass, than your washboard of a chest." Raynare shot back. The girl's had come a good distance under Zabuza's training regiment, but climbing a mountain in the hot sun, wearing not only the arm and leg weights, but with packs filled with what might as well be bricks, they were quickly going from tired to exhausted.

Even Kalawarner, the unofficial muscle of the trio was starting to wish they could just fly to the rented house, instead taking the hike. The bickering between her fellow pawns did little to improve her mood. She had kept her mouth shut for the passed two days, since saying anything might bring her grievances with this plan out into the air. She had to remind herself that she was just a pawn, and regardless of what she thought Zabuza made the decisions.

It was this lack of concentration as she wished her partners would quiet down that nearly sent her face first into the dirt path, saved only by Zabuza's quick hand grasping her shoulder.

With an embarrassed flush, Kalawarner righted herself and turned to thank her king, but he beat her to the punch.

"Raynare, Mittelt." Zabuza called out to the pair that had gotten slightly ahead. Both stopped as soon as they heard their names in Zabuza's deep tone. "Drop the packs, and run along ahead with Haku. You are no use to me half-dead from heatstroke on the first day." He commanded just loud enough for them to hear.

Without any more instructions needed, the two pawns tossed their packs to the ground and took off with a smiling Haku.

"So.. Boss.." Kalawarner started, not sure what to say as they walked in silence. Gozu and Meizu had disappeared in the morning, Zabuza having given them their orders. Now she was stuck

"Zabuza."

"Pardon?"

"Only the idiots call me Boss. So just Zabuza is fine." More awkward silence followed, as Zabuza tossed the discarded packs over his shoulder. At his outstretched hand, Kalawarner gave hers over as well. She wasn't going to complain, but the lack of weight on her back was definitely an improvement.

It was after all the first time she'd ever spent with Zabuza by herself. Normally they were training, or had Raynare or Mittelt, at the very least Haku to hide behind.

"Bo-.. Zabuza. Can I ask you a question?" Kalawarner gathered up her courage after the awkward silence began to get on her nerves.

"I believe you already did, but seeing as we got nothing else to do." Zabuza shrugged, though in the back of Kalawarner's mind she noticed the ease with which he carried the packs.

_Thinking bout his rippling torso can wait for later! Wait, why would I be thinking bout it? No, wait, shut up me?!_ The navy-haired pawn chided herself. "Why are we helping Gremory and her peerage? Especially after..." Kalawarner trailed off at the end, not needing to complete the sentence for Zabuza to know what she was talking bout.

"Simple. They have information I want, and it's a good chance for my debut." Zabuza said with disinterest, though he kept his attention on Kalawarner in the corner of his eye.

"Debut?" _The info I can understand, but a debut?_

"Kalawarner, prior to coming to the Human world, I was a notorious recluse who barely left his family home. Very few devils know anything about me besides my name and the rumor that I didn't inherit the Gaap bloodline. I'm rather proud I've managed to keep the information to myself for so long." Zabuza chuckled at Kalawarner's look of confusion. "I plan on using this fight to show them that I am not something to be ignored."

"Still doesn't explain why we are basically giving people who'd already tried to kill us another knife to do so..." She mumbled only to feel Zabuza's hand on her shoulder, stopping the pair in their tracks.

"Kalawarner." She frozen under his gaze. "In the future, if you have any misgivings. Just tell me. For us to work properly, we need to trust each other, and that won't happen if you are scared to talk to me. As for giving Gremory a weapon to stab us with later. I don't think that'll be a problem. She's too soft. Unless we betray her first, we'll be fine."

_It's the sun, the heat. Nothing else. You are not blushing. You do not like him. He's your boss, nothing more._ Kalawarner screamed in her own head as she nodded.

"Good, now come on. The others are probably wondering where we are." Zabuza took his hand off her shoulder to readjust the straps of the three packs he was now carrying.

Inadvertently, the thought of Zabuza carrying her pack brought her back to memories of her King walking around shirtless and so the pair continued on in silence, one of them contemplating the best way to humiliate Phenex, while the other did her best to not imagine herself being cuddled up against Zabuza's broad chest.

"Zabuza." Kalawarner finally broke the silence as the house they'd be staying in came into view.

"Hm?" Zabuza glanced at his pawn out of the corner of his eye as he gave his short reply.

"If, hypothetically we were to turn against Gremory's group. Can I deal with the priest bitch?"

"Hypothetically speaking, I'd be willing to give you Gremory and Akeno to finish off if it makes you happy. Like I said, I take care of my own."

Kalawarner's face split into a wicked grin as she saw the rest of the peerage waiting for them, Mittelt waving with a large smile on her face. "Well, that is good to know. Hypothetically speaking of course."

"Of course." Zabuza chuckled, but even Kalawarner could hear the dark edge to it.

_And just when I thought today was going to suck._

**AN: **Well, !^&amp;*##$. FF screwed me over and lost the original ending for this chapter, which pissed me off to no end, so meh. Next chapter will mostly be training for the Gaap Peerage and character interactions, sooo that'll be a thing. Then after that we'll finally have the Phenex barbeque. Will the blonde idiots goose finally get cooked? Will Kalawarner admit her feelings for Zabuza? Will I ever write a chapter that makes some damn sense? Fuck if I know.

To bring us back to Naruto (in a manner as smooth as high grit sandpaper), I'm still a bit conflicted bout the ending and as I've yet to see the Movie. As usual, I don't give a damn bout the shipping for various reasons (NaruHina or SasuSaku were both ships I couldn't care less bout for more reasons than I feel like listing). I just want to know where the fuck the villages are getting the money for things now. Also why are they even training new shinobi now that Jesu- Naruto, now that Naruto's effectively brought world peace. What the heck happened to all the Missing-nim as well, are they just going to sit back and let things happen, and more importantly, what are the Daimyo doing now that their military has effectively staged a coup?

And most importantly, why the fuck did Mei step down!? She's in her early forties or so probably, she's got tons of time, so why the fuck did she relinquish the title of Mizukage to Pear boy?! She'd still be kicking ass, so why is she sitting around doing nothing?! I don't give a damn that Sasuke keeps pulling Karma Houdini moments out of his ass (or had the balls to name his daughter Salad.. How the fuck Sakura agreed to that, I don't even what to know), or that Naruto uses a damn Apple Mac (as well as being an oddly strict father). Just what happened that Mei, a woman who's equal parts Person of Mass Destruction as she is beautiful that caused her to step down.

I think I'll stop myself here before I get to down the rabbit hole of my own insanity... any more and I won't stop.

Anyways~ Closing thoughts, next chapter will probably be of the longer variety, as will chapter after that (And don't be afraid to check out my other works that I am shamelessly promoting.) As usual, thank ya for the view, comments, concerns and the like are all appreciated. Hope you have a good day and I look forward to seeing ya next time~ :)


	12. Twelfth Move I

**Day 2**

"Oh hell no." Mittelt saw Zabuza. She also saw what he was holding in his hands, and she wanted nothing to do with it.

Zabuza just raised an eyebrow as he tossed a katana to Kalawarner, then another to Raynare. "Is there an issue?" He'd been almost excited to start training the girls in the art of the sword. It'd been far too long since he'd had a proper duel, Haku having as much talent with an actual blade as he had with painting. Very little.

"I was fine with the physical stuff. Being used as the soft, adorable punching bag for your chiseled muscles and fists. I was a little less fine the whole 'I'll be using a knife, while you aren't, sucker' but this. This, I draw the line at. I'll just punch things, thank you very much."

"I was under the impression you liked a man with a long tool?"

She fell for the bait, in her own way. "Zabuza, honey. It's the motion of the ocean that's the most important part, even if size of the ship plays a part. After all, you aren't going to ask the guy who rows the two man dingy to captain a cruise liner would you? You got to learn to walk before you can run, to lick before you can dee-."

"And that is enough out of you." Raynare said, hands firmly placed over her blonde friend's mouth.

Zabuza could already feel a headache coming on, but smothered it down as he stared down Mittelt, cold gaze meeting puppy dog eyes as the two wills clashed. Mittelt eventually gave up, extending a hand to take her blade.

"Don't worry Mittelt, I'll be gentle." To which the blonde could only grumble.

"Cause of course, the moment he starts to get playful is when he's halfway through turning us into beef cutlets." She continued to herself as Zabuza began demonstrating how to maintain and clean the blade.

* * *

**Day 4**

"He's a sadist... A beautiful, sexy, evil, sexy sadist." Mittelt said, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"I don't know what you are complaining bout. It's not that bad." Kalawarner said as she finished squeezing into one of her new shirts and began looking for a towel.

"Says the hag." Raynare spoke up from her bed, wishing she wasn't too tired to peg the bluenette with a pillow, or better yet a knife if she had one.

"Just.. He looks so innocent. He is always smiling and always so nice... yet..." She continued with a shiver at the memories of the past three days. Zabuza hadn't done anything overtly bad, he just didn't seem to understand the concept of a break. From dawn till the late afternoon, it was exercise, exercise and more exercise until Raynare couldn't draw another drop of power out of her tired form.

"Sorry we aren't a walking ball of muscles, stamina and jiggle physics. Some of us have to fill out the token cute role of this trio, instead of the amazon. Like anyone with a brain, I have slight issues with Zabuza coming at me with a sword that can cut through trees like butter only.." Mittelt rolled onto her side to look out the window and at the forest beyond it, knowing that during their three days of sparing Zabuza had leveled an impressive path as they fought for their lives.

_Evolution through fear. Blegh. More like beat us with a hammer till we become a shape he deems useful. _Kalawarner thought, towel in hand

"Well, if you two are going to do nothing but complain all night. I shall be taking a soak in the bath."

"Gramma Prime 'as got to wash away the wrinkles and air out the udders. I think I'll be here with Gramma the Second." Mittelt rolled off her bed to avoid the pair of pillows rocketing towards her face. Baiting her fellow pawns bout their age was her second favorite past time, and on any day it paid off. Aches and pains from landing on hardwood flooring being a small price to pain.

"Like the perverted cockroach you are. I'm surprised he hasn't just tossed you into a straight jacket by this point." Raynare shot back, wondering exactly what Zabuza would do if Mittelt actually succeeded in one of her perverted adventures.

"Tsk tsk, my dear Raynare. One would think you don't pay attention to your surroundings." Mittelt puffed up her chest as Kalawarner groaned.

"If that isn't a case of the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is." The black haired pawn mumbled.

"Agreed."

"Ye of little faith! Zabuza is madly in love with all of us! Me mostly, but I'm sure you fit in here somewhere." Mittelt waggled her finger at her fellow pawn's look of disbelief.

Neither Kalawarner nor Raynare spoke for the next few moments as their minds tried to process the statement that had just been put forward. It was Kalawarner who broke the silence first.

"I would kill for five minutes inside your head, just to see how the hell you came to that conclusion."

"Please. You just need one last little revelation before it all makes sense."

"And you need some serious help. I think Zabuza missed a few pieces after the Gremory bitch blew you up." Raynare shook her head, not willing to work herself up to the possibility.

"Just hear me out here. It's about the mystery twins." Mittelt threw in, hoping their curiosity would win them over.

Eventually Raynare did speak, voice muffled through the pillow she was trying to get comfortable with. "What about them?"

"Don't care." A rather clipped response, even for Kalawarner.

"I'm just saying. How long have we been with Zabuza?"

"A couple weeks." Kalawarner's eyes narrowed on the blonde, hoping she'd get to the point soon so she could have a bath.

"And how long do you think the twins have been with him?"

Raynare shrugged in unison with Kalawarner. "Exactly! We don't know! But what we do know is this. How easy do you think I'd be for you and Zabuza to walk into a tense situation and banter like nothing ever happened?"

Mittelt took their continued silence as an answer. "So, two possibilities exist. The first, and least likely option is that they are simply like that and Zabuza has adapted with the flow to suit the conversational needs of two pawns. Or! They have been with him so long that trading insults and 'tough' love has become their usual form of conversation. After all, what did they call Zabuza?"

"Boss?" Raynare supplied.

"Wrong! A typical nickname, of little importance! It's impersonal while denoting a level of respect and loyalty but still of little importance. The word you are looking for is tsundere."

"We care about your manga archetypes, why?" Kalawarner could already feel the headache coming on.

"Because it fits! Like a muscle shirt over those rippling muscles of his! Look at any interaction between him and Haku! Cold fondness is the best way to describe what we've actually seen of his relationship with Sis, but Haku around Zabuza?"

"Old married couple?" Raynare felt she'd been reduced to one word answers as Mittelt's wild conclusions had spun out of her and Kalawarner's control. The worst part being she was finally starting to talk some sense.

"Smitten! Love struck puppy smitten! We all saw how she reacted to the perverted monkey when he tried to hit Zabuza. He could have dodged, hell any of us could have dodged that punch. But no, it was all stunned silence and the creaking of strained wrist bones. No hesitation in her actions." Mittelt began to pace as Kalawarner finally succumbed to the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"A regular Mr. Jane you are. And this, relates to our, supposed, feelings how?" Kalawarner asked.

"Because how has he reacted to any type of attention we've shown him. When either of you try to get in close, give him a peek or try and flir- Oi! No looking coy! I'm not stupid! Raynare's had it written across her face since day one, and you're in just as deep Kalawarner! Least I've had the balls to actively go after the beef cake. The only difference between you two is how far along in denial you are." Both girls refused to dignify that with a response, even if the scarlet cheeks told Mittelt all she needed to know.

"Same coldness that Haku normally gets would be the correct answer. The only difference is that we have yet to know him long enough for him to be comfortable around him. If only he was more willing to spend some personal time together. A little skin-ship would do wonders."

"Crying shame, that's what it is." Kalawarner succeeded, in her own mind at least, in keeping her voice level and sarcastic, as she internally agreed with Mittelt's conclusion. After all, it was only proper for her to want to develop a closer relationship with her new boss. Pure professionalism. Nothing more.

"Truly." Raynare didn't even bother to hide her edge of disappointment as her mind rapidly started spinning small tales and fantasies that more often then not ended with her and a certain spiky haired swordsman together in the shower or the kitchen, or the bed, or.. _Bad Raynare. Focus on the current task._ "But what about Haku?"

"What about her?" Mittelt flopped back onto her bed.

"What would she do if she thought we were going to steal Zabuza from her?"

"Remove us most likely." Mittelt joked before she started to dwell on the possibility. The three of them had done more training in the past few days than the last few years combined, but none of them had seen what Haku was capable of. It seemed she wasn't the only one as the dawning look overtook Kalawarner and Raynare as well.

"I wouldn't do something so drastic. You may lose an eye or a limb if you go too far, but I'd be more than happy to let you live."

Haku was thankful that it took specialized training for devils, reincarnated or not to reach a decibel able to shatter glass.

Later, the girls would remark upon how quickly a daydream can descend into a nightmare dressed in a fluffy blue bathrobe as that one quiet declaration dragged them out of their purely professional musings and shameless fantasies.

"Good to see all of you in such high spirits." To Haku's delight, and not so hidden amusement, the trio looked flushed, unable to meet her eye, like children who barely escaped getting caught with their hands in a rather naughty cookie jar. "I was looking for someone to play cards with, but am I interrupting something?" She asked, letting her eyes dart between Kalawarner and Raynare as Mittelt tried to look casual.

"N-no! We weren't-"

"Haku! Hi-um-well! We were-!"

"Sis, how nice to see you! Um... how long have you been there?"

"Oh, not long. Though I do agree with you about the denial. It is rather obvious." Haku said as she took a seat next to Mittelt. "Though, if I am the topic of conversation, I'd be happy to join in to avoid confusion."

"Well-"

"We want a piece of the Zabuza pie." Mittelt put forth, subtlety be damned.

Haku blinked before chuckling. "And?"

"We were worried that you might not be so... accepting of our feelings? We know you have been supportive of Mittelt's... teasing, but a definitive answer would certainly help." Raynare's tone was one normally reserved for an underling dealing with their temperamental boss, thinking it was best to play things safe.

"Ah, I was wondering when this was going to come up." Haku let the girls sweat for a moment as she appeared to ponder the decision. "I suppose I am willing to share. If Zabuza is willing to have you, I will be more than happy to include you in our personal time. Though, do keep in mind. In the interest of fairness, you'll have to accept that Zabuza may include more than just the four of us. Possibly at the same time."

The angels shared a look, wondering if they heard right, before glancing on mass at Haku, to which her only response was a wink and playful smirk.

"Ah. Well. Most certainly a generous offer Sis." Mittelt coughed, for once the only one visibly red in the face as her friends nodded in quiet agreement, taking a sudden interest in the floor.

"Excellent. Now, anyone for a game of cards?"

* * *

"Well, that was rather anti-climatic." Mittelt said, as she began getting dressed for bed.

"I prefer anti-climax to having to constantly watch our step around Haku."

"Agreed." Kalawarner said, setting her hair brush down before lying down.

Mittelt could only shrug before flopping into her bed stark naked. She'd expected tension, love triangles, teasing and the whole plethora of drama from the situation. Instead she was given the green light and more. _Huh.. clear cut communication of interest... who'd have thought._ It would be a pleasant thought to fall asleep to.

* * *

**Day 9**

_It has to be something in the water._ That was the only explanation he had at this time.

Zabuza wasn't thick. He could take a hint, especially when they were being broadcast with as much subtlety as a chidori to the face. Kalawarner's state of dress or lack there of, along with Raynare's insistence on stretching whenever possible and the less said about Mittelt the better. He was a hair's edge away from barring his windows and warding his entire room. _What had changed in the last five days to make them all so.. touchy._

_The worst part is, if anyone came to me complaining about having a similar problem, I'd have throttled them._ But no, his loyalty to Haku was worth more than his own personal convenience. He just hoped he found a way to resolve things without hurting the girls, or more importantly damaging their potential.

"Here you go boss."

Just what he needed. A distraction from the sudden invasion of women in his life.

"Boom, do you love us or do you love us?" The twins said with a smirk hidden behind their masks as they dropped a short stack of papers at the foot of Zabuza's pool chair.

"You want an honest answer?" Zabuza said, reaching forward to leaf through the pages. It felt good to bask in the sun, with nothing more than swimming shorts and his usual bandages on, but then his eternal left and right hand came with business to attend to.

"Nope." They chorused before taking a seat in the chair beside their boss, seemingly unperturbed by the heat in their full-body cloaks and re-breathers.

"We'd prefer to keep the fantasy alive as long as possible." Gozu said, glancing across the pool to see Haku and their fellow pawns enjoying the time off. Both of the twins knew how hellish Zabuza's training regiments could be, especially when the boss offered his full attention to improving their progress.

Still, the girls didn't look too bad. A patchwork of scrapes, cuts and bruises stood out in a way that was almost nostalgic to the younger twin. They had sported a similar set when they first started working with Zabuza. Just meant that they were taking the training seriously.

"Yeah. An honest answer might break our fragile little hearts." Meizu chimed in as Zabuza let out a huff of air, halfway between amused annoyance and reluctant enjoyment.

"You two would be perfect if those masks doubled as muzzles." Zabuza finished skimming the pages, folding the corners of three for later inspection.

"Perfection is overrated."

"Always leave room for improvement. It's bout the journey and all that bull."

"Mmm. You two have anything important to say, or we just going to spend the afternoon wasting time like a couple of kids?" Zabuza didn't glare at the two of them. He knew it had been a long time since either had been scared of him but he should at least pretend to be in control of the conversation.

"Well-."

"The correct answer is no." Zabuza cut in at Meizu's pondering, knowing there was a pout hidden under the usual re-breather.

"Platon wanted us to deliver a message, no new info has been obtained on potential peerage members, no new info on our long term or short term targets and we've been offered a few jobs by some of our regulars that can be taken in the event we start running lower on funds than we can normally scrounge together.." Gozu listed off the top of his head the important topics Zabuza needed an update on.

Zabuza leaned back to think. He always seemed to do his best thinking lying down, a habit that was carefully mocked by Haku, and snickered about by his current audience.

"Milan's message?" _Might as well work down the list._

"An invitation to his granddaughter's seventeenth birthday in two weeks."

He had to blink at that. Zabuza had done numerous jobs for the Russian in the past three years ranging from wet work to smuggling and they got along fairly well, but this was a unprecedented.

"The story checks out, boss. We did some digging and unless the old bear wants to clean house of every ally and family connection he has, this is just a party." Meizu tossed in, receiving a nod.

"Whenever you get a chance, send him a message that I'll attend. Guests?"

The twins shook their head. "Invite only. No plus ones."

Zabuza had to snort at that. _Well it's not like I can't protect myself._ He now had to get around to buying a suit in the near future, or something classy. Win or lose he was going to Rais's 'celebration' in whatever he damn well felt like, but for a meeting among some of Russia's criminal elite, one had to dress appropriately.

"And the other objective?" Zabuza asked, having gotten to the back of the stack, looking over the attached pictures with a critical eye. They were good on funds for the next two months so long as any more surprise expenses didn't pop up. An attempted coup, years as a missing-nin and dreams of once being Mizukage had taught Zabuza a lesson in finances and forward planning. That those who didn't do them payed enough attention were set for failure.

"Four options that fit your requests. Personally, we'd recommend the third option. Aside from one small problem, it'd be perfect."

"Would hardly call a group of two-bit gangsters being holed up in it a small problem, but hey, who ever asked for my opinion?" Meizu griped.

"Noone with a lick of sense I would imagine. How long will it take you to remove the pests and get things situated?" Zabuza crumbled up three pages worth of solutions to his housing problem before looking over the final option. After three days of sleeping on a bed again, he had resolved to never sleep on a couch again if he could help it.

"Full purge, boss?" Zabuza just nodded. "We strike quick enough, we'd be finished with the clean up in two days with minimal chance of leakage. Three days if we want to avoid the attention of the authorities." Gozu mused.

"Then get to it."

Meizu groaned. "Yay, fucking moving duty-."

"Get everything in place before we are done with the training camp and you two get first pick on your rooms." Zabuza interrupted as he settled back in his chair.

"Any room?" Meizu asked, eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"Any room." Zabuza had never seen the twins move so fast in his life._ Guess it all came down to proper motivation._

* * *

Raynare had to wonder if there was such a thing as a pleasant pain. If so, she was feeling it right now as she stared up at the sky, lying on her back in the pool as Mittelt sat by the poolside with Haku.

The past six days had been grueling on both her pride and her body. The latter was only held together by the liberal amounts of healing magic Zabuza used during the spares, while the former had taken a backseat to her growing sensibility.

In the past, Raynare had believed herself competent, middling at best on the power scale if one wanted to be generous, but competent at her tasks. She'd survived what counted as basic training for the fallen angel. A one hour spare against an opponent chosen for you. You survived, won the fight, or just impressed the judge, you'd be allowed to help the cause. You failed? Told to come back later once you are worth a damn. Usually in those exact words.

Training was a foreign concept to her, and one she had mixed feeling about. She could feel herself getting stronger. See each movement executed with subtly increasing precision and strength at each repetition. It was invigorating in it's own way, and even if she felt like hell afterwords, it was worth it. If not to see that quiet bit of approval in Zabuza's eye as one of his kicks were blocked, or a punch dodged, it was worth it for herself.

She'd been given another chance, and this time it'd be used to make herself happy.

"They are scheming something."

Raynare rolled over, treading water as she looked at Kalawarner in slight confusion. A feeling she was growing used to since meeting her King. It had surprised all three of the former angels when Zabuza spent their first day of the fourteen day training period, not training. He'd given each of them a stack of cash, a hand written list and a stern look before sending them along with Haku to a local mall with a mission to expand their wardrobe beyond two pairs of hot pants and some sports bras.

It had been an interesting outing to say the least, and when they came back to the house with enough clothes to outfit a small army, Zabuza didn't seem to mind. At least the pool had explained why he listed 'swimming attire' under necessary purchases. And she wasn't the only one who'd taken advantage of this to show off.

Kalawarner's swimsuit was little more than patches of black cloth to cover the important bits strung along thin string that left nothing to the imagination, a fact Raynare imagined was alright for the buxom women. She'd never been ashamed of her body, happy to flaunt her generous endowment and the lack of subtly seemed to suit her as she tried to catch Zabuza's eye by strutting along before getting in the pool. Only to be promptly ignored.

_Not that my attempt went much better._ Memory of her own attempt to get Zabuza to pay attention to her strapless scarlet t have been just as fruitful. She'd picked it for it's emphasis on her waist, knowing that since she couldn't beat Kalawarner in the chest department, she'd pick her battles with her hour glass figure. The fact that, in her own modest opinion, she had an ass Haku couldn't beat might work in her favor. Something she was trying her best to point out to Zabuza at any opportunity.

Of course, none of the girls realized by this point, that unlike the overwhelming majority of males in their universe, the only time their King thought about their respective chest sizes in a heated sense, was in the terms of heated battle. In his own perfect world, all of them would be as flat as Mittelt, with the physique of Kalawarner and the drive of Raynare.

He was also smart enough to not mention this to anyone, and be thankful that he had three pawns that were at least willing to strive for improvement. Physical appearances rarely mattered in competitions of strength.

"You say that if it's a new thing." Raynare responded, glancing at the aforementioned pair sitting on the ledge of the pool, quietly talking to each other. Mittelt was waving her arms and gesturing within her pale pink v-neck one piece. They had to force her to wear it after hearing she planned to go swimming nude when the rest day had been announced. Things had almost resorted to physical violence before Haku smooth talked the petite blonde down from her birthday suit.

"Just suspicious." Kalawarner would never claim to be a prophet, but she had a feeling whatever they were up to would involve them. A thought that was only confirmed a moment later by Haku's eyes shifting from the excited blonde at her side, to them as she waved for them to come closer.

Raynare had to hold back a bit of jealousy as she looked at Haku. She was the only one Zabuza had commented on, even if it was a quiet nod of acceptance at the plain white bikini before going back to ignoring everyone.

* * *

"No." Raynare and Kalawarner exclaimed at the same time, thankfully remembering to keep their voices down.

"Come on. You know you want to. Stud muffin over there has spent the entire day off lounging in a chair. Even Haku thinks this is a good idea." Mittelt countered, disappointed that her fellow pawns weren't as excited bout this as she was.

"Haku is Haku, you shrimp."

"She's not going to have to deal with him and another three days of training if we piss him off-.. Speaking of, where have you been Haku? We don't see you at training.." Raynare's voice picked up a slight accusatory tone to it as she elaborated on Kalawarner's dismissal.

"I can promise that he won't be mad. If anything, he'll be happy that you are willing to stand against him, even if it's for fun. He does like someone with a bit of backbone after all." Haku gave the girls a meaningful look as she sidestepped the question of her whereabouts.

"See! That's why this is great! It'll be a few low level water spells, nothing that'll hurt anybody, _and_ we get to see handsome in all his lathered up glory." The gears were already turning in Mittelt's head, and whether she had back up or not, she was going through with the plan.

Raynare and Kalawarner shared a hesitant look.

"Well, it would do for him to have some fun."

"I'm doing this under duress." Were the half-hearted excuses they fell back on before nodding their approval.

"Excellent." Haku clapped her hands together. "Let's get started, shall we?"

* * *

"Go!"

That was the only 'warning' Zabuza got before gallons of pool water was launched at him, interrupting his musings through the combined magic effort of Haku and the girls. It was also the only warning he needed as he concentrated magic into his finger tips and took control over the liquid mass hurtling at him with ease, letting it circle around his pool chair twice to pick up a bit of momentum. Not enough to seriously hurt them but enough to teach them a lesson. He smirked without bothering to open his eyes before shooting the water out in five basketball sized chunks, nailing each of his aquatic assassins in the face, sending them backwards into the pool.

A fringe benefit of being a master at Silent Killing was rather impressive aim without visuals on the target.

His brief interruption was over as quickly as it had began in his mind, until he felt magical power pooling in the water. The girls hadn't given up yet and apparently Haku had decided to actually help this time.

Zabuza cracked open his eyes, as he stared at the assortment of floating liquid blobs before him and the women wielding them. Standing there, each wearing a bikini and a malicious look in their eyes, he could honestly say this was the first time his new pawns had crossed his thoughts with the word 'attractive' used as something other than a loose objective fact.

He didn't bother moving as Mittelt started to cackle as she tossed ball after ball of pool water at his face. From there, things just descended into chaos.

* * *

"We got him!" Zabuza was on the move. He'd managed to hold his position in the pool chair for a good ten minutes before their combined fire- water power had overwhelmed him and forced him into an active defensive strategy of dodging instead of simply reflecting their attacks back with equal force.

Zabuza slipped to the side as Raynare's water whip came down next to him before ducking under Kalawarner's quick two shot burst. Mittelt was letting herself loose, aiming for the eyes in revenge for the mandatory sword training, as Haku's dull water needles tried to drive him into the other girl's attacks. He may have put a little too much force behind his initial counter-attack.

When they actually worked together, they were almost scary in their execution. A few years of training, and they might be able to take him on, but they were in his element, and he didn't fancy to lose to his subordinates, as proud as he was about their performance.

So he started slowly siphoning off water as he brought a second hand into the play, putting less care into the force behind the streams and bursts of water he sent back and more into actually hitting their targets for a proper distraction.

The fight continued as such for some time, the girls hurling blast after blast of pool water only to be dodged with increasing ease.

_Draw them into a pattern._

His actions became methodical, letting himself be pulled along and having the impromtu water war play out in the girl's favor. Every attack was a hair's breath closer to it's target and he only returned fire when he needed to, making sure to keep the attention on him, instead of the minute amounts of water he was draining from the pool and the girl's attacks.

_Lay the trap._

With a flick of his wrist, a blob of water was redirected back at Mittelt and held in place over her eyes as he drew for time.

_Wait for the right moment. _

To many, having their vision taken away would have meant period of rest, to fix the issue before resuming warfare. To Mittelt, it just gave her an excuse for friendly fire as she picked up the pace, aiming at people shaped blurs, not caring who they actually were.

_Strike with precision, and force. Do so without hesitation._

He'd hand it to Mittelt, she'd done her job well as he could see confusion dawn upon the girls. Within an hour of their battle beginning, both sides were out of ammo. The pool had been drained, only tiny puddles remaining on the plaster bottom. It was a draw in their mind.

Until he pointed up.

Haku, Kalawarner, Raynare and a still-blind Mittelt looked up, those with their sight intact spotting a noticeable sphere of water hanging in the air twenty feet above them. It took Haku a second to realize what had happened, and the pawns another second to realize their predicament.

"I would like to apologiz-" Kalawarner started, only to get cut off by a genuine chuckle from Zabuza.

"Too late." With that, Zabuza brought his hand, letting his counterattack drop.

* * *

**Day 11**

He had to wonder if the last 8 days were as torturous to the girls as they'd been to him. He hoped so, if not he'd have to further increase the training schedule. A prospect that would bite into his own workout. A person could only survive on so little sleep, devil ninja or not.

"Any issues?"

"With your plan or your hands?" Haku asked with a small smirk as Zabuza picked up another slender needle.

"Funny. I can't tell who's been worse lately. The twins, or you." Zabuza said, placing one hand on Haku's back as he gently pressed the needle in between her shoulder blades. The lights were dimmed, but years of practice, enhanced sight and a perfect memory of Haku's body was all he needed to work.

"Oh you love me regardless." Haku giggled at the non-committal grunt that came out of Zabuza as she carefully adjusted her position on the bed, so as to not disturb the vast array of needles that were implanted in her skin.

Zabuza for his part just kept quietly working, enjoying the sight of his queen, half-naked on his bed. _Who says you can't mix work and pleasure?_ He thought with a hidden smirk as he began to channel a tiny amount of chakra through the needles.

"I think it'll work. I have no doubt that you can deal with Phenex regardless of what happens." Haku sighed as the familiar chakra entered her system, working away her aches and pains from three days of intensive training.

"I'd rather not have to show my hand on someone as pathetic as Phenex." Zabuza said as he focused on the trouble spots, removing and replacing needles at a steady pace. "It's not a question of 'if' I can beat Phenex. It's 'how' to do it without giving too much away."

"Could always go straight to plan B." Haku suggested as she curled her toes in pleasure. It was times like this, time just spent with Zabuza that made her day. No fire ran through her veins, she didn't see stars, it was a simple pleasant feeling, that everything was all right. _The fact I feel like I'm floating on a cloud is just the nice, fresh cherry on top._

"And miss out on a proper warm-up? Never."

The conversation lulled for a few brief minutes as Haku soaked up the attention, having no reservations as she let out quiet moans and pleased whimpers as Zabuza worked her body with a ruthless precision.

"How many?"

"Almost got managed a seventh today." She replied, unable to speak louder that a whisper because Zabuza had found a sweet spot, and she wanted to enjoy every second of it.

Zabuza just gave a quiet nod as he continued to manipulate the chakra needles. "Going to share your plan with Rias?" Haku asked once Zabuza was starting to wind down, watching from the corner of her eye as he gently removed the thin lengths of steel from her back, giving each a quick wipe with a sterilized cloth before tossing them onto the dresser of his temporary room.

Zabuza just snorted as he threw the last needle onto the pile. "Would it make a difference if I did? Gremory and her pack will do as they please regardless of what I say. Especially if I let her know in advance." He took a seat at Haku's side, running a thumb over her cheek as she smiled up at him. "Now out, I want to get some sleep eventually. And you got that look on your face."

"What look?" Haku's face was the picture of innocence as she sat up.

"The look that promises me a sleepless night if I don't send you away now. I'm having a bath then going to bed. Hopefully uninterrupted."

"Spoil sport." She pouted.

"Says the spoiled brat." He smirked back, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Now, out. You can have your way with me once we've dealt with Phenex."

"And if any of the girls want to 'have their way' with you?"

He shrugged off the leading question. "Ultimately it's up to you. I'd prefer to just give the girls what they want, but I'm not going to do so without your permission. I got enough on my plate with the idiots... I don't need you mad at me as well." Zabuza added as an afterthought as he rearranged the needles, wondering where he put the sterilizer.

"Good boy." Haku said, slipping her robe on as Zabuza gave one last snort. "Though..."

"Though?" _This isn't going to be good._

"I've been thinking." She continued at a pace he knew was to drag this conversation out. "You have been rather behaved lately, and the girls are rather smitten."

"Wouldn't have been the word I used..."

"Just because you don't understand the heart of a young woman in love doesn't mean it can't happen."

_Pretty sure I don't understand the heart of a man in love, but that's besides the point. _"And?"

"Well, I was going to give you the same deal I gave the girls." Haku teased, watching as Zabuza processed the implications.

"And how long has your deal been in effect?"

"A week or so. I admire their will to succeed. They've done everything but thrown themselves at you."

Zabuza sighed, letting his shoulders drop as he sent a lukewarm glare at Haku. "No, that's just Mittelt."

"I'm sure she'll calm down once she's gotten what she wants." Haku smirked at the expression on Zabuza's face. A mixture of exhaustion, and annoyance to create a perfect mixture of being purely done for the day. "Oh don't be like that. I thought it was rather funny. You pointedly trying to look Kalawarner in the eyes as her cleavage became ever more present. How Raynare seemed to be hanging off of you, or constantly dropping things when you were looking in her direction."

Zabuza could only shake his head with a tired chuckle. "The things I do for you."

"Noone's forcing you into anything. But I can tell you the girls would be happy if you showed you cared." Haku took the few steps forward necessary to stand in front of Zabuza, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him close. "I know I was."

_Yes, cause the last thing I need is more people using me as an emotional crutch._ He thought as he rested his chin on Haku's forehead, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

* * *

**AN:** So, ugh, been a while. Finally got things sorted out I hope, and hopefully I'll be able to continue this story at a pace quicker than a chapter a year. Decided to make this one longer as my little apology, so hope that helped. Aside from that, not much to talk about. As a second form of apology I'm going to give tiny hints as to who the remaining members of the peerage is going to be. Feel free to guess in a pm or reviews, and if I get enough asking for it, I might just cave and tell who'll be joining. If you can get all of them right, hurrah for you.

So far we got a max of six positions left to fill, with only five people being added. The bishop pieces will be both put in the same person. (No characters are final until they actually appear in the story. With that in mind, please be sure to visit the poll on my profile on whether or not I should include other series as possibilities in Zabuza's peerage. Esdese and Pyrrha Nikos are strong contenders for appearing if we include other series. {Look, I don't know how that pairing came from either, but for some reason, it works in my head.}

Anyways, the hint will basically be what part of the series they were introduced in along with whether they are a clan member or not.

Knight: Anime-only (Part 2), No Clan

Knight: Manga (Part 2), No Clan

Rook: Anime (Part 2), Clan Member

Rook: Anime (Part 2), No Clan

Bishop: Manga (Part 2), Clan Member

I think only one of these characters will be slightly controversial, and not even for pairing reasons.

But yeah. Next chapter will be the last three days of the training camp, which will probably be mostly lemons with Zabuza, Kalawarner, Raynare and Mittelt. Then we'll get to the Riser fight since I've finally figured out how that will play out. Both will probably come out at the same time so those who don't care for the lemons can skip straight to the fighting and those who want the lemons can read both.

Anyways, enough rambling on my part. I'm not putting any definitive time on when the next chapter will come out, but the story is by no means dead. So thank you for everyone who's stuck around and read this. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and have a good day~ :)


	13. A Private Game I

**AN: Warning, there be lemons ahead. You are now warned.  
**

**Day 11**

Strictly speaking, Kalawarner had already faced down death and come out for the better. She'd faced down Zabuza with weapons ranging from a knife to a full blown katana, having seen him slice through full grown trees with an ease usually reserved for hot utensils through butter, but that wasn't as frightening as what lay before her.

A bathroom door.

_You coward. It's not like you are doing anything wrong. This was Haku's suggestion for fucks sake. A way to bond professionally. No need to make it weird thinking about the fact that behind this door is a naked Zabuza. A gloriou- delightfull-splendi-... Shut up me. Okay me._

"You can do this Kalawarner. Game face. It's just offering to wash his back and..." Kalawarner trailed off, before running through one of the breathing exercises Zabuza had pounded into them over the last twelve days, waiting for her pulse to slow down and her mind was clear.

She stopped herself from knocking, this was to be a full-frontal attack. Why lose the element of surprise?

* * *

Zabuza lifted the corner of the washcloth off his face, allowing himself a look at who walked in on him. He knew it wasn't Mittelt. The little she-devil was subtle in her overtones, more likely to sneak in through a window or wait for him in the bath itself, than actually use the door.

Wouldn't be Haku either. She would have asked to join him for formalities sake if nothing more. He wouldn't have told her 'no' if she did. The tub was big enough for two people. He'd lived his first life in various states of poverty, now that he had access to a surplus of money he was sure as hell going to spend it on creature comforts. Most of them seemed to revolve around water features, but frankly every pool and sizable tub he had installed on his property was just another source of water in the event he was attacked.

So it was to his surprise it was Kalawarner who stood by the edge of alcove, body wrapped up in a towel and little else from the looks of it. _Oh fuck.._

"Evening." He said, same low, gravelly voice as usual. As if one of his pawns didn't look halfway between embarrassed and courageous with her cleavage sticking out of the fluffy pastel blue piece of cloth.

"Evening." Kalawarner said, shutting the door behind her, hearing the latch's soft click. She was in. "May I join you?"

The grunt that came out of Zabuza as he dropped the washcloth back down on his face was something the girl's rapidly learned meant 'yes'.

Not sure of what to say, Kalawarner just nodded before realizing Zabuza couldn't see her. Her mind was racing at how much of an idiot she was for even trying this before she came up with an idea. She was on the offensive after all. When seizing the castle, you had to send in more than one wave in the attack.

"Zabuza."

"Mm?"

"Can you do me a small favor?" She said, trying to keep her voice seductive

An affirmative grunt was her only answer.

"Could you look at me?.. Please?"

It was the 'please' that got him. The same unguarded sound that he'd heard from Haku at some of her lowest points. So, he did as he was told, taking an arm up to remove the washcloth from his face and looked at Kalawarner, watching her with interest as she seemed to gather her courage.

In one swift movement, the towel was on the floor and she stood completely exposed in front of him. No posing, no trying to show off, just baring herself and hoping for the best.

The two simply stared at each other for a moment, Zabuza taking in the sight that was Kalawarner, while Kalawarner took in Zabuza's reaction.

Unbound by clothes, it was easy to see why she flaunted her bust. There was a lot of it to flaunt. He could only imagine how her shoulder's must feel on an average day. From there, his gaze moved down, past the full length navy hair trailing down her back, gliding over the minuscule cuts and bruises that were most likely of his own doing, down to the small patch of dark blue hair between her thighs, and her shapely legs.

If he was Haku, or someone with a more imaginative vocabulary he'd describe her as an amazon goddess given human shape. That she was marble, carved from the earth with an air of strength. Her hair as lustrous as the sea waves with eyes that sapphires could drown in. How in another time her chest alone would have drove men to war, or ended them.

Instead he simply raised an eyebrow, answering the question that hung quietly in the air with one of his own. "My honest opinion?" _Besides the fact that I can't tell if one of your breasts is bigger than my head..._

"Please..." Kalawarner could almost feel Zabuza's eyes, but surprisingly she didn't feel the need to cover up. She stood there, watching the gears turn in her king's head as he gave her a quick once over, never lingering too long on one spot.

It stuck her how different Zabuza looked with his mouth uncovered. She'd seen him unmasked before, but she'd never taken the time to look. It might have been the bandages or scarves he constantly wore, but without them his jaw was sharper, chiseled. That would be how she'd have described him in general, sharp. He was nothing like a gorilla as the Pervert constantly claimed he was. The only wide-set part of him was his shoulders, a swimmers build if she'd ever seen it, with arms like steel cords, and_\- _

Kalawarner cut herself off that train of thought as she rubbed her thighs together, hoping Zabuza wouldn't notice. Just because she'd dropped all pretense about this being a 'professional' action in her own mind didn't mean she wanted Zabuza to think she was a complete pervert.

"I am not one for needless compliments as Haku will attest to, but I also not someone to hand them out to people undeserved. You are a beautiful women, anyone who says otherwise is an idiot, now are you going to join me, or stand there?" Zabuza noted the rising blush as Kalawarner slipped into the tub, careful not to step on Zabuza's legs. With nothing else to say in his mind, he leaned back, pretending not to notice how Kalawarner's breasts floated on the water or how she had inverted nipples, with a coloring he'd best describe as dusky pink.

The two sat there for a minute, soaking in the heat as Kalawarner willed herself to relax. She could tell Zabuza was watching her out of the corner of his eyes, but it wasn't the lust driven gaze she'd seen from every other man she'd caught the eye of. No, he was looking at her like a puzzle, to be examined, picked apart and remade with time. It was a look that sent an unfamiliar ache through her core.

"I enjoyed today." She'd never thought Zabuza the type, but she could smell hints of vanilla and jasmine. It was most likely Haku's but the fact he allowed her to come in and intrude on his relaxation time was something she took to heart.

Zabuza raised an eyebrow at that. The day had been spent running through drills till the girls looked ready to collapse from the training weights.

"It was.. fun." Kalawarner nearly regretted the words as soon as she said them. They sounded stupid in her head, and even worse actually spoken.

"Really now?" His eyebrow didn't lower as he continued. "I wasn't going for fun, in fact I remembering quite clearly Mittelt call me a ruthless dictator, among other things."

"It is by no means pleasant, but that's why we are training, isn't it? To prevent injuries in the future?"

Zabuza seemed to think her statement over for moment before his chin dipped forward in a shallow nod. "One way of saying it, sure." His gaze had softened, whatever puzzle he had running through his head finished as the look of speculation was replaced with muted acceptance and what she hoped was a glimmer of approval.

The corner of Kalawarner's lips rose in a quiet smirk as she rolled her shoulders, finally feeling some of the tension leaving her body.

It was Zabuza's turn to surprise Kalawarner with his next statement. "Do they hurt?"

"Pardon?" More caught off guard by the show of concern than the actual question.

"Your shoulders," Zabuza clarified. "Are they injured?"

"No, it's just.." Kalawarner's gaze dropped down to her chest as she trailed off, again watching as the gears turned in Zabuza's head before he let out a tired sigh and sat up straight. Worried she'd said something wrong as Zabuza's leg's pulled back, she started to apologize before he cut her off.

"Come here and turn around." It wasn't spoken as a command, but she felt compelled to follow anyways.

Not sure what else to do, she did as she was told, taking her time to stand up for the dual purpose of not falling all over Zabuza, but to remind him that she was 'a beautiful woman' who might not mind if he decided to make things easier for the inexperienced by taking a few liberties, taking extra care to give Zabuza an extra eyeful of her ass as sat back down.

She knew her 'selling' point as most men were happy to point out was her chest, but she thought it best to cover all her bases in the event Zabuza wasn't a breast man, and what better way to do that than with a front row view.

A few seconds of Zabuza shuffling to get comfortable, and they were both situated, with his thumbs rolling soft circles into her back as the rest of his hand palmed her shoulder blades.

* * *

Putty, she was little more than wet clay in the palm of his hand as he started to wind down the massage.

"Didn't think you were the type to know how to do that..." Kalawarner said behind a haze of pleasure, sliding back to rest upon Zabuza's chest, relishing in the contact now that Zabuza's hands had trailed down to her waist, holding her steady.

"After a few years of mastering how to best break the human body, you pick up a few things on how to mend it."

"Mmm." It was Kalawarner's turn to hum, as she gathered her courage. Twisting her head, she took a chance and started to kiss her way from the crook of Zabuza's shoulder to his jaw line. "I never did thank you for saving us.. for helping us and all that.."

"You understand that the only thanks I need is for you to fight for me, right? I don't want you to feel pressured." Zabuza said, wanting to make things abundantly clear that she was doing this because she wanted to, instead of some twisted sense of obligation.

"No... It's just.. It'll sound stupid, but I want to do this with you.." Careful as not to send water everywhere, Kalawarner flipped herself over, leaving her chest pressed against Zabuza's, arms brought up to wrap around his neck as she looked him in the eyes. They were cold, sharp eyes, but they were honest eyes, eyes that would pull no punches, and sell her no false truths. Eyes that she knew she could fall in love with. "I've seen the way Haku looks at you, and.. well.. I want that. That light-heart'd feeling.. that soft smile.. the feeling that someone actually cares about you and won't abandon you after one misstep... I don't want to be abandoned again.."

Pressed so close together, Kalawarner could feel as well as hear the low breath of air that escaped Zabuza as he sighed, hands coming up from his sides to the blue-haired pawn's waist, gently kneading the soft flesh beneath them. "Loyalty above all else is rewarded when dealing with me. If you are willing to become mine and mine alone, I'll give you everything you desire."

Kalawarner nodded as she drew herself up to whisper in Zabuza's ear. "Then I am yours."

Zabuza's hands gripped tighter as Kalawarner began to nibble on his earlobe, one hand dropping from his neck to his crotch, slowly caressing his cock in a manner she hoped was pleasant. From the low growl in the back of his throat, she must have succeeded.

As she continued to stroke Zabuza, she allowed her lips to wander, teeth and tongue grazing over the rough flesh of his neck until one of his hands cupped her chin, guiding her lips to his. She didn't expect sparks, or anything so romantically cliche, but as she lay on top of him, lips moving in sync with his, liquid fire began to run through her veins, flushing her chest, straight to her crotch.

She'd expected Zabuza to be domineering from his sheer presence alone, from his ability to command attention and respect with a look or gesture, but he flowed, hands exploring her body in slow, methodical strokes to find her sensitive spots as he matched her desperate need for care and attention with a warm passion she hadn't expected. It was slowly driving her insane as she started to rub her clit against his knee, wanting more of him by the moment.

Taking notice of her responses, Zabuza trailed his hand down her spine, ghosting over the small of her back, giving one of her ass cheeks a firm squeeze that drew her lips away from his to moan into his chest before sliding his fingers between her crotch. His middle finger began to tease her clit out of hiding, as he drew her closer.

Kalawarner's breath quickened as Zabuza went on the offensive, not allowing her to respond as he drew her clit around in small circles with one finger, another running along the edge of her labia. His other hand taken one of her generously endowed breasts into his hand, fingers sinking into doughy flesh as he played with it. Stretching, squishing, kneading and palming her chest as he repaid her early attention with interest.

The feeling of Zabuza's sharpened teeth nipping into her throat was all she needed to go over the edge, shuddering under his touch as she came. She had once been an angel, but heaven was lacking as she lay panting into Zabuza's pecs.

It took almost more energy than she believed she could muster at the time, but she knew it'd be worth it as she pulled herself up, Zabuza's head cupped between her hands as she kissed him, pressing him against the edge of the bath as their tongues intertwined, Kalawarner wanting to show through physical contact alone how much she wanted from him. Zabuza answered with almost equal passion as he gently lifted Kalawarner's hips to hover over his fully erect cock.

Eventually Kalawarner had to pull away, taking low, deep breathes of air as she noticed her whole body had gone flushed as the tip of Zabuza's cock poked at the entrance of her pussy. She could claim the remaining water of the tub had made her as slick and sodding wet as she was, but she didn't bother. She only wanted more. "Please, be gentle.."

Zabuza didn't ask, but the small quirk of his eyebrow was enough of a question for Kalawarner to continue. "It's my first time... I wanted it to be with someone special."

"Alright." Was his only response after a contemplative look as he leaned forward, again taking her lips into his own, drawing her attention towards him as he began to slowly lower Kalawarner's hips.

There was surprisingly little pain, a fact Kalawarner was grateful for, but Zabuza's size alone was more than enough for her to be thankful he was willing to go at her pace. Any bigger and she might have felt like she was being torn in half at the seams, instead he was just big enough to give a pleasant feeling of fullness as he slid into her. A low purr traveled through the pair courtesy of Kalawarner as she hit the base of his shaft.

They sat their, kissing as Zabuza allowed Kalawarner to adjust to his presence inside her, and Kalawarner marveled in the feeling of physical completion, a puzzle piece finally finding it's proper pairing. The feeling was swiftly over taken as Zabuza began to move, long, slow strokes that sent delightful waves of pleasure with every push and pull. He lifted Kalawarner up till just his tip remained in her before pushing back inside of her.

Kalawarner kept it slow, never asking Zabuza to speed up, go faster or pump harder as she relished in her new found sensations till they peaked again. Unperturbed as Kalawarner's kisses turned to moans in his mouth, Zabuza kept up the slow, methodical pace as he drew out her climax, rather enjoying the sight of her hooded eyes as her pussy tightened around him, gripping his cock in it's grasp as he pumped into her.

"Oh.. sweet.. Zabuza..." She panted out, once she'd came off a high she could rapidly become addicted to.

"Yes?" Zabuza took the chance to move his hands off her hips to play with Kalawarner's breasts again, enjoying the shudders that went straight through her to his cock as he managed to draw her nipples out in the open, such perfect little buds that he felt it was his duty as a man, much less her sole partner to give each a long, drawn out and expertly attentive kiss that stalled his partner's answer as she rode out another orgasm.

"You.. are evil..." Kalawarner said once she'd finally managed to pull herself, and her chest out of reach of Zabuza's mouth, knowing with certainty why Haku had taken to wearing a turtleneck for the few days after her punishment.

"And you are complaining?" She blinked at the tone. It had something new to it, a teasing edge that left her fidgeting in Zabuza's lap.

"No, I'm.. not." She responded once she'd managed to calm herself down from every movement being enough to curl her toes before it hit her. "You haven't...?"

Zabuza simply shrugged as Kalawarner trailed off, not wanting to say it, wondering if he hadn't enjoyed her even half as much as she enjoyed him. He simply brought his hands up to absentmindedly play with of Kalawarner's breasts, trailing kisses from the center of her chest, along her collarbone to behind her ear. "We got more than enough time for me. Tonight it's about you."

* * *

Kalawarner glanced at the clock, knowing that she should be sleeping, but her mind simply refused to calm down as it played the last few hours on repeat. She knew she was going to feel it later, but for now she simply enjoyed to feeling of having herself pressed against Zabuza, the slow, calm rhythm of his breathing drawing her closer to sleep as one arm lay over her stomach in a protective embrace.

Aside from the short break they'd taken to get dried and relocate to his room, the last seven hours had been spent within the company of her king, or more specifically with him inside her, to the point she'd lost count how many times either of them had climaxed. All she knew as she shifted under the bed sheets to lay her head over Zabuza's heart was how much more she wanted, and a premonition that he could more than accommodate her.

_This must be how Haku feels..._

A pleased kiss to his chest was the last thing she did before she closed her eyes, a content smirk across her lips.

**AN: **So, yes yes, I realized I lied bout the next chapter being all the lemons then moving on to Riser (finally). There is a legit reason for this though. I would desperately like your feedback on this chapter seeing as it is the first lemon/smut I have ever written and would like to use said feedback for Raynare and Mittelt. I already have how things are going to play out, I'm just curious about writing flow and style that seemed to work best. The next chapter will be Raynare and Mittelt, followed by the Riser fight, but for now you get this out early. I, personally, am rather pleased with how it ended up (even if I have mixed feelings about being able to scribble out 3.5k words of smut in less than twelve hours while it took me months to get 6k+ of fluff done, so yeah. Funny how that works -.-), decided to put in a little character stuff before we got to the dirty stuff. I like smut, but I also like a little lead up instead of random fucking.

A little PSA, there is a poll on my profile for you to vote on. Mostly cause I'm a self indulgent writer and am conflicted with myself on whether I should stick with just Naruto characters, or add other fandoms. If we just go with just Naruto, I got the peerage all set up and most of their arcs semi-planned out. If we go with other series I got a little less prep but I think I could do some interesting things. (Characters that are likely to show up are Esdese of Akame Ga Kill, and Pyrrha Nikos of RWBY, among others.)

And for those wondering why I made Kalawarner a virgin, partly for sentimentality sake between the characters but also because she struck me as the type that would: a) intimidate away most men and b) seemed the loyal type who wanted her first time to be with someone special (In canon it was probably Azriel she wanted to get with since her loyalty to him is noted, but in this story, it's Zabuza). So yeah, that's my justifications. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, reviews are actively wanted this chapter, and hope you have a good day. ^.^


	14. A Private Game II

_**Warning, there be lemons ahead.**_

**Day 12**

Kalawarner had heard various people talk about it, but she had never put much thought into the morning after. Specifically how her pelvis was more than happy to remind her of the pounding it had recently taken with each step as she worked her way back to her room. She was hoping that Raynare and Mittelt were still asleep, allowing her to avoid any questions till she felt less like a pleased pile of mush and more like a coherent person.

And pleased she was, after an initial scare. Laying awake, wrapped in Zabuza's arms she'd turned to introspection, only to make the logical jump from making love to making babies. Zabuza didn't get much sleep after that revelation, for a few reasons. Instead he was shaken awake by an almost frantic Kalawarner. She wouldn't mind children one day, but she had better things to do stuck on the sidelines with a brat when she could be in the thick of things by Zabuza's side kicking ass.

It had taken him all of two minutes for a groggy Zabuza to calm Kalawarner down and explain to her. Most of the explanation went over her head, apparently Zabuza felt that medical terms and a stern face would be enough to talk her down from her own minor panic. What she did get from the explanation was the fact that until he scheduled a specific visit to some doctor, he was firing blanks, news that she had taken to heart before taking Zabuza then and there, thrice.

_A shower would be nice.._ The blue-haired pawn mused as she finally got within sight of her door. Her hair was a mess, she was covered in enough love bites to be considered a pointillism painting and the now familiar smell of Zabuza on his t-shirt was almost enough to convince her to turn around and bully him into another round. Surely there was some part of her body that he hadn't marked by this point, a tragedy that should be fixed sooner rather than later.

Instead, common sense won out. She had all the time in the world, so why rush? With that in mind, she opened the door to her room, freezing in place.

Mittelt looked up at the sound of the door opening, her sleepy expression sharpening as she took in Kalawarner's appearance. Ruffled hair, a familiar t-shirt that did nothing to cover anything below her waist, and a neck full of red marks.

"Why Kalawarner," The petite blonde purred, a maniacal grin splitting her face. "Do tell, how was your night?"

* * *

_No. _One set.

_No. _Two set.

_No, no.._ The red set.

_Arrrgh.. no._ Then the blue set.

All tossed to her bed in a growing sense of frustration as Raynare rifled through her clothing looking for the perfect set of bra and panties for tonight. She knew it was a pointless touch, Zabuza's taste in attire leaning towards barrel chested with shorts. But she wanted to make things special.

"Aha! There you are..." Raynare exclaimed, finally finding what she was looking for in the back of the drawer.

* * *

Zabuza had hoped for a peaceful night of reading. Haku was off with the girls doing something, while he lay on the couch flipping through a medical book. By now he should have figured his luck wouldn't hold out, after the first hour of peace and quiet he glanced up, hearing footsteps heading towards him.

Raynare peaked her head around the corner, a shy smile on her face as she caught Zabuza's eye. "Hi."

"Hi..?" Zabuza asked as he closed his book.

"Might I join you?" A sense of deja vu ran through Zabuza, but really what other choice did he have?

He simply grunted as he sat up to give the girl some room on the couch. He knew he was in some sort of trouble the moment Raynare had walked in. He'd allowed Kalawarner the day off since he wasn't cruel enough to deflower a women then expect her to run through training, leaving him to Mittelt and Raynare all day. The former looking him over with unabashed glee, while the later couldn't seem to meet his eye.

_Alright. You got this Raynare._ The pawn took a deep breath, calming herself of the sight that was Zabuza sprawled out on a couch in jeans and nothing else, his usual bandages gone to leave a chiseled chest, broad shoulders and strong jaw for her to ogle, a breath that didn't go unnoticed by Zabuza before she stepped out of hiding.

_Certainly her color_, Zabuza raised an eyebrow at Raynare. Deep violet lingerie with black lace trim hugged her form, highlighting her eyes as she walked over, a certain sway to her hips. She was in no rush as she passed Zabuza, letting him see how the cut of the fabric drew attention to the soft curves of her ass, while emphasizing her breasts and turned her eyes to gemstones in the darkness. She was a sight to behold as she sat down by the arm of the couch.

He didn't ask when she kicked her legs up to be laying on the couch, resting her back against the arm rest, but he did see her quirk an eyebrow at him. "Well? I didn't mean to move you around too much, you can still lay down if you wish." She said with a soft smile as she gestured with her hands towards her lap.

Another small grunt as he thought over his options, before he gave in with a nod. Raynare's smile went from welcoming to pleased and excited as Zabuza lay back down, his head between her thighs and his book on his chest. Looking up he glanced purple fabric and a happy pawn who smiled down at him.

"What are you reading?"

"Medical text."

"Oh?"

_You already made your choice, now you just got pay the piper._ Zabuza thought as Raynare brushed a loose strand of hair away from his ear. By accepting Kalawarner, he'd made the decision to accept all of them. Favoritism beyond Haku would only lead to frayed tempers in the ranks at best, and full blown feuds at worst. He wasn't an idiot after all, it was a clear choice of all the girls, or none of them. "Muscle development and skeletal structure." He elaborated, not bothering to reopen the book as Raynare continued to play with his hair.

"Sounds.. interesting."

"As watching grass grow." Zabuza said to Raynare's uncertain response. "The writing's dry and the major points are facts I already know."

Raynare's hands slid down his scalp to his collar, rubbing small circles into his flesh with her palms as she nodded. "Then why are you reading it?"

He'd have shrugged, but his position didn't allow for that range of movement. "In case I forget."

"I'm sure you'd remember." Raynare reassured him as her hands continued to massage his collarbone.

"Best to be prepared in any case.." He spoke in a low tone before yawning, he almost hated to admit it but Raynare's touch was relaxing, and after Haku, her lap was the softest pillow he'd ever had.

"I'm not boring you am I?"

He had to snort at that. "No, you aren't."

"Good.."

* * *

"Zabuza.."

"Mm?" He'd almost dozed off. Kalawarner must have tired him out more than he thought as he looked up at Raynare. She was back to playing with his hair with a pleased look on her face.

"Can I ask you something?"

An affirmative grunt before she continued. "Do you like me?"

"Yes?" An odd question to ask. He wouldn't have his head between her legs if he disliked her... _That sounded cleaner in my head._

"I like you too, and I was wondering..." Raynare trailed off, choosing her words carefully. "I want to.. make a deal. A contract."

He had an idea where this was going, but he kept quiet, letting Raynare take the lead. "When we joined you originally, you promised us food, shelter and safety. At the time it was enough."

"But?" He prompted her.

"But I want more." Raynare twirled a tuft of his hair in her fingers.

"More, meaning?"

"I want love."

_And how the hell am I supposed to respond to that...? _Zabuza thought to himself, a glimmer of confusion crossing his face as Raynare finally let go of his hair. He was by no means a foremost expert on love, hell he'd be willing to admit he was one of the worst people to ask for advice regarding some of the warmer emotions of the human psyche. Thankfully Raynare tossed him a life line.

"I want to spend more time with you. I want to get to know you. What makes you laugh, what makes you sad, what makes you angry and what calms you down." Raynare's sigh had a dreamy quality to it in Zabuza's opinion as she continued. "I hardly know you. You rescued us a few weeks ago, and since then I've had this feeling every time I see you. My heart beats a little bit faster. I want to show off and to catch your eye. I want to stand by your side. I want to think that one day you'll look at me the same way you look at Haku."

Zabuza raised an arm, reaching his hand up to gently brush Raynare's cheek with his thumb as he sighed. He had no idea how to best console a women in love when he was a shinobi, and he hadn't picked up any more experience as a devil. "That's a lot to ask for."

"I am a rather greedy girl. I think it's one of the skills I learned from my new master." Raynare said with a shy smile as she put her hand over Zabuza's, holding it to her cheek. The low chuckle that came out of Zabuza was heartening, even as he drew his hand back to sit up.

Zabuza ran through his possible responses as he moved himself from Raynare's lap to a sitting position, facing one of his precious pawns. This was a conversation that warranted actually looking the person in the eye. "High expectations are an important part of life... You realize that it may never happen right?"

"I know.. I know that it may never happen." Raynare pawed forward over the sofa, stopping just in front of Zabuza before gently pressing her lips against his in a chaste kiss. "But please.. I want to try..."

It was the look in her eyes that got him more than anything else. The look of someone who wanted so much more but expected nothing. He couldn't say no, and he couldn't promise to love her. He wasn't going to lie like that. Instead he simply said, "Then who am I to stop you?"

"Thank you.." Raynare whispered as she brought her lips back to Zabuza's, as she gently pushed him down.

Raynare marveled in the feeling of Zabuza's lips against hers, of the shy touch of her tongue as it entwined with his, of the warm feeling that grew hotter inside her with each minute they lay upon the couch kissing. She ignored the shivers that went through her as Zabuza's hands wandered her back, until she felt something grinding against her crouch.

With a mixture of reluctance and excitement, Raynare separated herself from Zabuza and moved herself to the floor, kneeling by his waist.

She'd heard Kalawarner describe his size, and as she eyed the bulge in his jeans, Raynare couldn't help but smile in anticipation as she slowly unbuttoned him. A quick tug of fabric later, and she saw her prize, half-erect as she glanced at Zabuza for permission to continue. With a nod, Raynare took him in one hand as tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

Zabuza gave a low growl as Raynare used her tongue to play with his tip. She was teasing him with each slow pump of his shaft, her grip firm but gentle as she worked him over. Eventually giving into her own curiosity, Raynare kissed Zabuza's cock before taking him into her mouth as her free hand trailed down her stomach. Head bobbing up in down along his shaft, Raynare's hand went under her panties, to rub her clit as two fingers slid inside her with ease.

He answered with a low moan of his own as he slowly bucked his hips in rhythm with Raynare's head-bobbing as it picked up speed, the dark haired pawn gaining confidence with each every quiet noise that came out Zabuza. Taking her fingers out of pussy, Raynare brought it up to play with Zabuza's balls, gently rolling them between her fingers as she swirled her tongue around his tip.

It had taken her a few minutes, but as she felt like celebrating as she felt his penis expand slightly and shudder inside her mouth, shooting out in delicious strands to the back of her throat.

She had never liked the taste of semen, but as Zabuza came she wanted more of the bitter, warm liquid for the fact it was his. Locking eyes with Zabuza, she made sure he watched as she pumped his shaft, working to get as much as she could out of him, cheeks puffing up slightly as savored each drop before swallowing in a slow gulp. With a wet 'pop', Zabuza's cock was free from Raynare's mouth.

Raynare opened her mouth wide, showing that she hadn't wasted even the smallest bit of her king's gift before Zabuza's hand took her by the chin. He leaned forward as she rose up, doing the one thing she wasn't expecting. He kissed her, uncaring that she could still taste his seed as she pressed her chest against his. She felt giddy as Zabuza picked her off the floor to straddle his lap.

She didn't want to lose this, not after being given a taste of affection. Her body was on fire as Raynare's kisses changed from blissful to hungry. She wasn't the innocent little virgin to be played with, she had a goal as she ground her hips against Zabuza.

Sensing Raynare's growing impatience, Zabuza's brought a hand between them, knowing from the wet patch on her panties alone she was more than ready as he pushed the fabric covering her vagina aside. It was Raynare's hand that guided him inside of her before she sat down, taking him in his entirety in one swift movement.

Raynare had to break away from Zabuza's lips as she moaned into his shoulder, his hands on her sides as he began to thrust into her. He started with slow, long strokes before Raynare's hips started to match him. He picked up speed with ease, rather enjoying how she bit into the side of his neck, trying to contain her moans as each thrust into her increased in intensity, only to feel her clench up on him after he rubbed up against a certain spot.

Zabuza viewed the fact that his mouth was unoccupied as an issue, something that was easily rectified as he watched Raynare's swaying breasts as she bounced in his lap. Never one to bother with clasps, and not wanting to interrupt Raynare as she moaned her way through his attention, Zabuza simply slid the left cup off her breast, allowing him to greet her small nub of a nipple with sharpened teeth and a restless tongue.

Even with one breast pinned by Zabuza's mouth, his tongue swirling around her sensitive pink flesh as his teeth gave it playful nips, Raynare kept pace with him, bringing her hips down to meet his thrust up. As she heard Zabuza's breath come out in shorter bursts, she increased her pace as he adjusted himself for his tip to hit against a particularly moan worthy spot. It took everything she could to prevent herself from going over the edge but she forced herself to wait.

Lightly raking his teeth across her nipple, Zabuza finally couldn't hold out any longer as he came inside Raynare, his hips all but stopping as he shuddered in her grip.

_Y-yes!.._ Raynare thought to herself as she felt Zabuza's cum pour into her. It was a sensation as new to her as it was exciting, the final thing she needed before she allowed herself to go numb with pleasure, cumming shortly after her king. It had been perfect in her mind, the sense that she was loved, that he wanted her, and the warm feeling in her gut was proof.

The two sat their, Zabuza's head resting against the couch, and Raynare's against his chest as they both got their bearings. She felt Zabuza carefully pull out of her vagina, watching as a small stream of white came out with him. Having caught her breath, Raynare smiled, eyes lighting up like gems as she spoke quietly. "Zabuza. I love you... and I hope one day you love me too."

Not having a proper response to that, Zabuza simply leaned forward to kiss his pawn's cheek, an action that was met with equal parts delight and excitement for the next round.

* * *

She was finally asleep, which was good enough for Zabuza as they lay on the coach with a blanket over them. He was probably going to need either new furniture or give this one a good washing after tonight. Apparently his stamina training with the girls had done wonders if the time was any indication.

Still, he stared at the ceiling, running things through his head as he sighed. If there was one thing Zabuza didn't like, it was the idea of leaving a job unfinished. The feeling of Raynare pressed up against him, his arm acting as her pillow was a reminder that he'd made a contract that he couldn't fulfill with certainty.

_If worst comes to worst, I can just fake it..._ He thought with a sigh.

**AN: **So, decided to do separate chapters for each of the girls for simplicity's sake. Mittelt is next, then the fight. (Boy, am I dragging this whole fight thing out..) {Shut up me, they might forget about the fight if you keep tossing smut out for them}

Anyways, I'm not as happy about this little bit of naughtiness as the last one but thoughts are always appreciated. I know some people write smut just cause they want erotica featuring character's x, y and z, but I'll admit to trying to define Zabuza's relationship with the girl's through sex. Kalawarner was indecisive and took a chance that paid off, while Raynare knew exactly what she wanted and got the physical aspect, but the emotional aspect is up in the air. Most of you can probably guess how Mittelt's scene is going to go.

Regardless! Polls on the account page! Vote now on whether or not this shall stay NarutoXHighschool DxD or add a few other series in. The poll shall be going till the 4th of October, so three weeks. (I hope to have moved on to the next arc by that point.) I have characters and story lines roughed out for either choice, so the choice is entirely up to you. EI, like the actual elections, you should be taking the short amount of time out of your day to cast a vote.

Now, until next time. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, comments are always welcome, and I hope you have a good day ^.^


	15. Final Move Pt1 I

**Day 13**

_Oh for fuck sake..._ Zabuza would have cashed in on a promise to kill the next person who woke him up in the middle of the night by straddling his chest. Unfortunately his hands were tied to the posts of his bed. He could have snapped the ties with ease, but they were all he needed to take the seconds hesitation to figure out who exactly was sitting on him.

"Mittelt..." He said without opening his eyes, feeling the light weight shift before his pawn responded, voice playful and smug. He'd lost his touch if some blonde midget could get the drop on him.

"Why Zabuza! Glad you could join us, I was almost going to start the fun without you." Her hand moved lower, drawing ever closer to a place it shouldn't be. Especially when he was tied up and just waking up. "But now we can both enjoy our time together."

Deciding that going along with things would be less of a hassle than resisting, Zabuza opened his eyes with hopes he could go back to sleep sooner, rather than later.

"Mittelt..." Zabuza repeated, eyes widening slightly at the sight before him. Pale white skin, the soft curves of Mittelt's ass and a perfect view of her intimate places as she leaned forward, body held hovering over his chest.

"Yes?" Mittelt looked over her shoulder, a smug smile on her face. Her 'presenting' had payed off from the look in Zabuza's eyes. _Why bother with fancy clothes when the fun part was done fulling naked? _Mittelt thought in her nude glory.

"You know why this room has curtains over the windows?" He asked with a small sigh.

"Why?" Mittlelt turned around, hands on Zabuza's chest to hold her up as she smirked down at her captive king.

"So I don't wake up to a full moon." Zabuza bit out before jerking his wrists, the plastic ties holding him in place snapping with a crack.

"Do I make you nervous Zabuza? I didn't take you for the type to joke around, and I've heard nothing but good things about you from Raynare and Kalawarner." Mittelt giggled as she palmed Zabuza's pecs.

"Thought I'd respond with a bad joke, to your own terrible idea. Now get off, some of us want to sleep." His voice level and monotone as Mittelt continued to admire his physique.

"Counter off." Mittelt leaned forward, her face inches from Zabuza's. "I get you off, you get me off. Repeat process for a few more hours, then, we sleep. I've been waiting weeks for this for weeks Stud Muff. Why don't you play nice and let a girl have her fun?"

The two locked eyes for a brief moment, before Zabuza twisted himself. With practiced ease, he'd flipped Mittelt onto her back, with him now hovering over her. "You really are an annoyance.."

"But, I am your annoyance." Mittelt shot back with a sultry tone before bringing her lips up to Zabuza's.

* * *

**Day 14**

A hot shower was what he needed after a long night of being worked over. Zabuza knew Mittelt had a mouth on her, and she'd more than proven that last night. It was a weird turning of the tables for him to be the one waking up covered in bite marks and hickeys.

_Now to deal with the fallout. _He sighed as he walked through the halls, towel around his waist. The match was tomorrow and he wanted a full day of rest before having to deal with Gremory, her peerage, Phenex and all the other annoyances. Headache prevention measures at their finest.

For that he'd given up any pretense and told the girls to do whatever they wanted for the day, with a reminder that come hell or high water, tomorrow they were back on the normal schedule.

He had to put his foot down. Keep order. To that end, he'd given all three a talk. He'd be perfectly fine spending time with each of them, so long as it didn't interfere with their training. All of them had taken it rather well, he thought.

Now he had to just find his pants to start his day off.

Lost in thought about his peerage, and the upcoming match, he didn't notice the small chatter coming from his room. Not until he'd opened the door, taking half a step inside.

_No, just no._ Before him lay a paradise to some. Four beautiful women, laying on his bed wearing an array of clothes ranging from stark naked, to stark naked under a bed sheet. Raynare with an inviting smile, sprawled across the sheets, Kalawarner with a shy look on her face as she tried to cover herself, Mittelt presenting with her chest forward, and Haku...

Just Haku. The look in Haku's eyes being all he needed to know exactly who's idea this was.

There was no hesitation as Zabuza let go of the handle, the door closing itself with a slow groan as he turned on his heels. _Fuck it,_ He thought. He was just going to go lay by the pool in nothing but a towel. He didn't give a damn at this point._  
_

Zabuza didn't make it 4 steps before he was dragged back inside. Poor him?

* * *

**Match Day**

"The enemies base is in the new school building. The quad would be the quick-" Rias cut herself off as she heard the door to the club-room door open. She and the rest of her peerage looked up from the map, to see Zabuza halfway out the door before Rias called after him. "And where are you going? We need to finalize the strategy?"

Zabuza looked over his shoulder, leveling his gaze with Rias. "You hired me to win this fight. That's what I'm going to do. Don't get in my way." With that he closed the door behind him, leaving an exasperated Rias and an annoyed peerage.

"What a prick.." Issei grumbled to himself as he turned back to Rias, waiting for her to finish explaining the plan. A short minute later, his stomach dropped, and dread started to pool in the pit of his stomach. Nothing had changed as far as he knew, but close by, there was something dangerous and every nerve in his body was screaming at him to run. Run fast, run far and never look back.

As quickly as it had came upon him, it lessened, only a hollow reminder of it's existence in the back of Issei's mind. The force moving away from him, leaving Issei in a cold sweat.

Not being the only one affected, Yuuto was the first to recover. "Guess Zabuza's gone?" He said with a weak smile.

* * *

He had no idea why they couldn't go the extra mile and put some actual clouds but that might have just been him nitpicking. Truth be told, Zabuza wasn't in the best mood for this fight, and he wasn't afraid to let people know.

He'd ran into an obstacle. Souna Sitri. If Gremory was brute force backed up with a bit of technique, Sitri was her exactly opposite, and the one person his own age he was apprehensive against fighting. Since he first enrolled in Kuoh, he'd done his level best to avoid the sister of Satan Blue. Till today, he had succeed. _Now I can only hope she's too caught up in Rias to pay attention to me._

An unlikely prospect, considering what he was about to do. _Well, you wanted to make a lasting first impression._

Zabuza continued to survey the battlefield from atop the old school building. It was a decent vantage point, and years of experience allowed him to get a reasonable estimate for the area he was given to work with.

He made a show of gathering magic, letting it roll off of him as thick miasma. If the sky could be described as a sickly green, then his demonic power was a malevolent purple. It started at his feet, shrouding him in hues of shadows and darkness as it worked it's way up to his neck then beyond his physical body. Still it grew, and in the haze of power shapes began to emerge.

Fangs, pointed and numerous with beady eyes and sharp chins. The faces of numerous demons danced and laughed in Zabuza's chakra shroud as he held two fingers just below his chin, and another hand out-stretched over his head.

"Demonic Arts: Hiding in the Mist" With that, the hunt was on.

* * *

"Tch. Thinking a little mist will stop us." Ile said, looking out one of the hallway windows. The mist had long since past the point of being a mere nuisance. Beyond the glass was nothing more than a world of murky grey shadows.

"If they want to force us inside for a fight, let them! We'll win regardless!" Nel agreed as she walked beside her sister, and fellow pawn Mira. Mira for her part just nodded.

"Indeed. Now if only these cowards would show themselves..." Xuelan complained as she threw open the door the gymnasium. "If they didn't wish to fight, then they should have just surrender by now." The group of girls nodded as they walked through, on guard for an ambush.

"Or they were waiting for you.." A low voice growled out, the girls jumped as one to face it, weapons and fists ready to annihilate whoever was there. But all they saw the door they opened themselves, now with thin tendrils of mist flowing in from the hallway.

"Going to have to search harder..." The same voice called out, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, as the floor of the gymnasium was now coated in mist.

"Back to back girls." Mira whispered to her fellow peerage as they followed through. Nel and Ile wasted no time, tossing aside the bags to wield their chainsaws. The glow of fire on Xuelan's fist was rapidly swallowed in the mist that seemed to grow ever thicker. Where there were once walls, there was now an expanse of blankness.

"A novel strategy.." The voice called out again, before things became a blur. Quicker than any of the pawns could react to, a flash off steel materialized from the mist, cutting a line in front of Xuelan before disappearing into nothingness. The rook never knew what hit her as she disappeared into light, thin lines of blood leaking from her slashed throat. "Useless, but novel none the less..."

* * *

To her left. Nothing. To her right. Nothing. All around her, the vast void of nothing as far as the her eyes could see. Ile was gone. Nel was gone and Xuelan was cut down with ease before her very eyes. Mira knew she was all alone, at the mercy of the voice and it's low chuckles. Laughing at her as she swiped and stabbed her staff in whatever direction the voice seemed to originate from. Hitting air and smoke every time.

"Getting tired brat?" The voice taunted. "You could always surrender. This isn't a fight you are going to win." Mira's only response was an increasingly agitated jab straight in front of her. Hitting nothing.

"Another miss. How bout a hint?" The voice sounded closer and to her left, which is where she leapt for a flaming kick, landing on nothing but polished hardwood floor. She didn't even feel the hands ghosting her head as Zabuza whispered in her ear. "_Right behind you_." A pull of his arms, and the blue-haired pawn's neck was snapped, gone in a bit of light.

"Four down." Zabuza nodded to himself before skulking back into the mist.

* * *

"Three pawns and a rook for Riser Phenex, defeated." Rias couldn't help but smile a bit as she heard Grayfia's voice announce the good news, even if she was beyond furious at Zabuza. _Four down in the same time, a good start._ And her peerage hadn't even joined the fight.

_If only the could._ With that thought, she was back to fuming at the eyebrow-less bastard. As happy as she was for her progress. She and her peerage had been pinned down by the fact that the moment they stepped outside the old school building, they couldn't see the end of their own nose, the mist was that thick.

How Zabuza managed was completely beyond her, and if it wasn't for the fact that: so far they were winning, and Riser's team was at just as much of a disadvantage due to the mist. She would have shouted for everyone to hear for him to take the stupid stuff down. The only thing stopping her from turning on his communicator was again, the fact he was winning, and an almost childish, not to mention self-defeating instinct for him to get screwed over without her help.

But no. For now, she'll play Zabuza's game. Whatever that may be. And if they lost, she'd give Riser, Zabuza's cock as a wedding gift. Gloating all the way.

* * *

He couldn't believe the pair of balls these girls had as he watched from his place on the school walls. A group of six, wandering the school grounds. To anyone else, it would have been the glow of their fires that identified their presence, but even from this distance, he could hear their footsteps and general chatter. Never mind the fact he was in-tuned to the mist, but that was a secret he was taking to his grave.

It revealed a few important things to him, firstly that in the future, if he's on a massive win streak, remind himself and his peerage that he'd already been killed once for letting his pride get the better of him. Zabuza liked to think he learned from his mistakes, and he'd certainly taken his death to heart. Secondly, he learned that Riser and his queen were waiting to see how things progress from their base. Mostly through the minor complaints bout how they weren't allowed to stay with Riser while Yubelluna and Ravel were.

Zabuza smirked under his bandages as he dropped down to the ground, landing with a muffled thud. Rolling up the sleeve of his school uniform, Zabuza channeled a small amount of chakra to reveal the storage seal tattoo'd onto his inner forearm. He activated it in a puff of smoke, letting the handle drop into his waiting hands. Kasumi.

It wasn't Kubikiribocho, but he supposed no sword would ever be. He had too much history with that particular blade for one to ever fully replace it, but Kasumi was forged by his own hand while being an exact replica of his oldest tool that it felt comfortable enough to wield. The weight was perfect, the balance correct and most importantly of all, the edge was sharp.

He'd never share with Haku, in case she misunderstood, but Kubikiribocho would always be his favorite and most reliable tool. Haku held a special place in his heart, no longer a tool, and certainly more than a bit of pointed metal but the leather and metal grip in his hands, or the feeling of flat iron against his back was just right to him. No games, no banter, no teasing or having fun. With Kasumi or Kubikiribocho, he could do what he did best. Slaughter.

With that thought in mind, Zabuza brought his sword arm back, and put the other arm forward, thumb held parallel to the ground as he took aim. Once ready, chakra coating the blade, he let fly. A blur of steel and demonic energy cutting through the sparse trees with ease.

He followed quickly behind, listening to the brief intakes of breath as the unprepared were cut down were they stood, and the one who noticed the attack quickly divided out of the way. Deciding he'd had his fun for the match, Zabuza caught Kasumi's handle mid-rotation, using the momentum for a broad, sweeping low cut that would sliced the unlucky women from shoulder to hip, had she been in anything other than a rating game.

Either way, it went as hoped. Six more small fries removed from the game. Leaving only the main meal ahead.

As Grayfia's voice announced his new kills, Zabuza put a hand to his ear, activating the transmitter. "Gremory."

There was a few seconds of nothing before Rias's voice came back to him. "Gaap." Probably sounded a little more awed than she would have cared to show, but Zabuza pressed on.

"Can you contact Riser? We are finishing this."

* * *

"Well Rias, I'm both impressed and disappointed. You've managed to defeat almost all of my peerage, and done it with nothing but ambushes and trickery." Riser said from atop the school roof. He'd been understandably skeptical, and infuriated when Rias had called him up, asking for his surrender. The smug look on her face, while attractive, would have been nothing to her pouting in defeat, or begging him for more.

"When presented with an unusual challenge, one is best to use unusual methods to tackle it." Rias responded, in a far better mood now than twenty minutes ago. The fog had cleared to the point, where she could see with perfect clarity. Zabuza had not shown up yet, but she was more than willing to take the moment to trash talk Riser. Especially with the entirety of her peerage at her back. "I just never thought it'd be this easy."

Riser could only scoff at that. "As much as I love my girls, you still face an even greater hurtle." He motioned to the two people behind him, a small girl with blonde ringlets and tall women with wavy purple hair. His fellow trump cards.

"Two Phenex's alongside my beautiful and infamous queen. I don't know how the swine you lowered yourself to bested my treasures, but this game ends now. There is no more fog for you to hide behind. To face me in open combat." He continued, with a shake of his head. "You might have fun. It would have been unlikely, but you might have beaten me with boredom, hiding in your little fog show."

"Oh but Riser. My peerage didn't even lift a finger." Rias teased with a smile she didn't even have to fake.

"Yeah! The damn gorilla put up the fog and Prez wouldn't let us outside since we might get separated!" Issei shouted in agreement.

At that Riser's smile slid down. "Oh, was this the work of your temporary rook? I look forward to teaching them, their place for harming my treasures."

"Interesting. I almost miss the twins. They'd have had some sort of comeback for that." A familiar low voice growled from above them.

Issei didn't think about the earlier fear or the current tinge of unease that came from Zabuza's direction as he turned his head to shout at the circus gorilla. "Get down here you show off! I got a bone to pick with you! I come up with all these amazing techniques to use, and you get us locked in the club room for the match!"

Zabuza didn't even bother to shrug at Issei's statement as he floated on a pair of ethereal wings. Instead he focused on Rias, a look of boredom under all his bandages, arms crossed over his chest. Rias smiled up at him, all thoughts of castrating him pushed to the back of her mind for now. "You wanted them here, so do with them as you wish. So long as we win, I don't care if I get a shot in or not."

"A good way to look at things." Zabuza said as he set down, his wings disappearing into wisps of dark energy as he turned to face Riser. The blonde was giving him a calculating look.

"Sebastion Gaap. Interesting Rias. A pillar without their bloodline. You really have lowered yourself. I really shall have to chastise my girls for loosing to such trash." Riser said as he stepped forward, fire igniting in his hand.

"I prefer Zabuza, but if you can't remember that. I'll be sure to carve it into your skull." Cold, monotone and with a good amount of venom behind it. Zabuza simply stood in place as Riser slowly walked forward, till the two of them were chest to chest, staring each other down.

"You realize who you are facing I hope. I don't want to do you the disservice of being able to claim you didn't know you fought an immortal phoenix only to lose." Zabuza had maybe half an inch over Riser, but the wings of fire that were coming out the enemy kings back more than made up for the height difference.

"Pfft." Zabuza snorted as he leaned forward to tower over Riser. "You know what immortal is? Immortal was the original Lucifer. Immortal was the many gods and goddesses that have fallen to time or the hands of another as they got caught up in their own lie. Believing in their own superiority. Immortal was the words on the lips of every Phoenix, devil or bird before they lay to rest six feet under. Immortal is little more than a phrase for someone yet to meet their betters. And do you know what I am little bird? Your better."

Not waiting for any signal, flames leapt from Riser's hand as Zabuza's fist came to meet the blonde's jaw, sending both flying back.

Riser took the initiative, blasting into the air to rain fire down upon Zabuza, uncaring about other casualties as the remainder of his peerage dived out of the way. Rias and her peerage were right behind them, searching for cover as Zabuza kicked open a water pipe, hands moving too quick for anyone else to see. The contents of the pipe spewed out in a wall to block the fire homing in on Zabuza, before it shifted, and started to take shape.

The sprinkling wave of water gave shape to a serpentine form, yellow eyes flashing to life before giving a roar that threatened to pop ear drums. Water dragon now formed, Zabuza body flickered over to another pipe, delivering kick that tore through the metal with ease as Riser took to blasting his draconian attacker to steam.

The dragon's 'body' curled protectively around Zabuza as Riser summoned more and more flames, evaporating as much water as the pipes were willing to give as Zabuza stood by and watched.

Riser took a chance and dived forward, ducking under the mass of water as he flew towards Zabuza, fist outstretched. Zabuza caught the fist in one hand, turning his body to work with Riser's momentum as his other hand went under the blondes armpit with force. With a quiet crack, Riser's shoulder was dislocated as Zabuza threw him to the ground.

His recovery was good, Zabuza had to admit. Riser had some skill, just not nearly enough to win against a trained opponent or more specifically, Zabuza himself.

Sensing that the ranged battle was over for now, Riser charged, jabs and hooks following shortly behind. All of which were dodged or deflected with ease, even if Zabuza's uniform had a few more scorch marks than previously.

It was the leg sweep that almost threw Zabuza off, as the bandaged fight jumped over it only to block an elbow to his gut. It was time to go on the offensive.

Zabuza broke the flow they'd fallen into with a low kick to Riser's shins, nothing too damaging, but enough to get the boy, with a now healed shoulder, to back off for a second. Twisting his body, Zabuza followed up with a high kick, rotating on the balls of his feet as the flat of his foot caught Riser's neck. The force of his kick sent Riser crashing to the floor, as Zabuza flowed into an elbow drop on the back of brat's head.

With his opponent laying temporarily stunned, but certainly reforming, Zabuza got to his feet to pick a struggling Riser up by the back of his neck. Package in hand, Zabuza dragged his opponent to the nearest brick wall, where the stairwell met the roof. Picking himself up to a brisk jog, Zabuza ignored the flames that had eaten through his sleeves to dig into his flesh for the purpose of smashing Riser's face into a brick wall with enough force it shattered the concrete.

Again, to his credit, Riser managed to stay in the right mind set as his flames kept eating away at Zabuza, but the mercenary had one last trick up his sleeve as he turned Riser around. "You know the funny thing about immortals?" Zabuza asked, as more of his clothing began to burn away.

Riser's immediate answer was to spit on Zabuza. "They always win, especially against trash."

With his bandages turned to ash, Zabuza smiled, pointed teeth and all. "Even immortals need air." Zabuza changed hands, as un-burnt digits clamped down on Riser's throat and squeeze with a strength that could bend steel.

Both stood there, locked eye to eye as Riser started seeing spots, and Zabuza ignored both the flames coming off his quarry and those being thrown at him by a queen who'd finally decided to rejoin the fighting.

Neither flames last long, as the latter was quickly shot down by a lightning bolt, one she might have been able to dodge had she been paying attention, and as the former passed out, disappearing in a puff of light.

"Riser Phenex's King. Defeated."

**AN:** Took a little longer than I thought to write but I blame Mittelt for that. I'll probably to a real lemon for her later, but since I wasn't completely happy with how well Raynare's was, I thought I'd best spread them out. At the risk of making a terrible pun (when has that ever stopped me before?), smut doesn't come that easily to me. So yeah, one day Raynare get's a rewrite and Mittelt gets an actual lemon. But for now, they've all done the due and we can move on to the fighting.

I liked this. Originally, I was going to go with a flashy water move. The 'power of a god' route, but thought that wasn't really Zabuza's style. Same thing with the 'wear him down' route. Zabuza could have done either options, but both are far too much work, or take far too much time. So he just choked the bitch out. I also considered letting the twins fight Riser, but I got other cool stuff for them to do later down the line. Haku's first actual fight scene will also be cool (I think at least), even if it is a little far away.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Comments, concerns and such always welcome. Next chapter will be the wrap up to this arc, and the beginning of Zabuza finding his own peerage. On that note, there be a poll up. Vote. If you don't vote, you shall have no right to complain if I taint this story with other series or not. I got outlines fleshed out for both, along with full peerages, so it comes down to the choice. You want just Naruto/DxD or Naruto/DxD and more? Poll ends the 12. So vote.

Regardless~ Hope you enjoyed, leave a review hope to have another chapter soonish, and hope you have a nice day ^.^


	16. Final Move Pt2 I

Pain. A familiar, and almost comforting sensation that ran through Zabuza's arm. It was good to remind himself that he was fallible. For that, Zabuza sat on the edge of a desk in the old school building, dressing his wounds as Gremory and her peerage celebrated. He didn't see the point in celebrating now, there was a whole ball for that specific reason tonight.

But he wasn't going to impose, or more importantly be imposed upon. He'd dodged the hugging, cheering and celebrating with practiced ease, slipping out of the official club room before anyone could get their hands on him, quick enough to find an out of the way classroom to dress his woulds before returning to the training lodge. With Raynare, Kalawarner and Mittelt now in his life alongside Haku, he was certain to get more than his comfortable share of physical contact.

An amused snort passed his lips as he twisted open one of Haku's healing balms he kept on his person, leaving the roll of linen for after. Without a spotter, and stripped of his top, Zabuza was able to examine the damage to an extent. His left hand had taken the worst, blisters running from his knuckles to his elbow while his normally pale skin shone a violent red. Even closing his fingertips, he could feel the cracking of burnt flesh, and the exaggerated stretching sensation on his back. With ease born of years of practice, small amounts of chakra began to run through his body, speeding up the healing process as he set to work with dressing the wounds.

He'd worked his way up to his forearm, coating flesh in a thick green medicine only to stop when he heard a pair of footsteps in the hall. Light and hesitant that stopped just before his bedroom door. Guess his peace and quiet was gone.

Zabuza had no plans to invite anyone in, so as the person on the other side of the door tried to make up their mind, he went back to work. Massaging the ointment into his tender flesh, ignoring the stabbing sensation that accompanied every movement of his arm, he grabbed the linen. With an ease born of long practice, Zabuza began to wrap his arm in the cloth, weaving between digits as the door was opened.

A flash of bright crimson in the corner of his eye was more than a hint that someone noticed his departure, and was now standing in the doorway. He didn't even bother to look up as he finished wrapping his palm. For her part, Rias didn't simply stayed in place to observe as she moved to Zabuza's side, taking the roll of bandages away from.

Zabuza watched as Rias worked her way from wrist to forearm, to elbow before she bit through the strip, tearing it off the roll. With the loose end, she tied a small knot to hold it all in place.

"You could have won without this." The words were chiding but the tone was concerned. When Zabuza didn't immediately respond to Rias's accusations, memories of Zabuza taking everything the red-haired king could throw at him with ease, ran through her mind as if in confirmation.

To that Zabuza could only shrug as he flexed his bandaged arm, testing and finding the mobility to his satisfaction as he felt it go pleasantly numb. Now he was going to get the riot act. He had to wonder if Haku didn't want to grow out this weird harem project of hers for the sole purpose of giving her more voices to reprimand him with. Rias wasn't even involved, as far as he knew, and she seemed to want a piece of the action.

At the lack of a real response, Rias shifted spots, switching to Zabuza's uncovered side, taking the balm container from his hand as she looked over the scorched flesh. Her touch was gentle but firm as she took hold of Zabuza's uncovered arm. She'd dealt with burn wounds once or twice before, and was glad to have the experience, for without it she wouldn't have been able to tell if she was extending Zabuza's torment or actually being of aid.

No one should be able to come out of a maelstrom of fire, in a mess of singed facial bandages and have an expression half as disinterested or detached as Zabuza's.

"We could have been of assistance." Rais spoke up, as her hands spread liberal amounts of ointment on Zabuza's palm. The silence had almost been peaceful, now he was side by side with someone showing open concern. "If you'd told us your plan in advance, one of us could have taken Riser."

That was a response worth another shrug and a small, tired sigh. "Too early. You." Zabuza put an important emphasis on the word before he continued. "Wouldn't have walked away with minor burns."

"How are we to improve if not given a chance to fight? I am not afraid of a little fire. Not after everything you've already done for us." Rias countered, lifting Zabuza's arm to avoid making a mess of his torso, massaging his upper arm.

_Minor burns. _Rias scoffed mentally at the state her... what was he at this point, her friend? Colleague? Rescuer?... Unbidden, memories of the night spent upon his coach came to mind, cheeks going as red as her hair.

"You hired me to beat Riser. Not to tell you how." Zabuza responded, not seeming to notice her complexion, or was ignoring it. The Crimson Princess was unable to decide in head whether that inattention was a good thing or not as she searched for a verbal response.

"If you say so." Rias conceded, letting the conversation died on a technicality as she continued to apply the ointment, careful to avoid Zabuza's eyes as she took a chance to observe his body. She'd been to focused on convincing Zabuza to assist her during their initial midnight encounter to pay any attention to his body. But now, sitting beside him, she could see everything she'd missed out on, eyes that seemed draw to the lines of his body. Arms that under her gentle touch felt like steel cables. A torso that seemed to have been carved from pale granite, with thin, near invisible, silver lines racing across him in a pattern she could only assume meant old scars.

What really drew her eyes as she applied the last of the cream to Zabuza's shoulders, were his nipples. Minuscule, dark brown circles that sat upon his slightly rounded pecs. Pecs that Rias had to keep herself from staring at, forcing herself to keep her eyes on the job, wondering how it'd feel to have the chest of her fellow king in the palm of her hands as she winded linen through his fingers. Issei's various proclamations about the wonder of breasts began to make sense in her mind.

If Zabuza noticed, he choose not to comment as Rias ran scenario's through her mind. Thought's filled with a pale teen hovering over her, monstrous teeth grinning down at her in an open challenge in a way that she found as annoying as it was tempting. Of the quiet confidence matched by a power that sent shivers down her spine. Wonders of how his lips would taste-

"Hmph." Zabuza huffed, bringing Rias back to reality with a flush.

"Are they too tight?" Rias asked, as she stopped just below Zabuza's shoulder, taking her eyes away from her 'work' to see Zabuza shake his head.

"No." Zabuza tested the bandages, flexing his arm as Rias watched his chest. "Acceptable."

"Alright.." Rias trailed off, mind made up as she did the last few rotations of the linen roll. With a slip of her nails, and a few seconds, the knot to hold it all in place was finished. Work completed, Rias placed her hands over Zabuza's.

"Now we do the other one."

Zabuza's thin eyebrows raised in confusion for a moment before he felt Rias's fingers on his neck and the tattered bandages that remained to cover his face. Hints of skin, and teeth could be seen behind grey fabric as she slowly unraveled it. The look in Rias's eyes did not bode well for Zabuza. Infatuation was dangerous at the best of times.

So Zabuza did what he did best in situations where he didn't have an easy answer to the problem set before him, and more importantly didn't care enough to think up an answer. Go with the flow, a wise decision as Rias unraveled the last of his bandages.

The pair stared at each other in silence for a moment as Rias formulated the best way to present her request.

It was the prompting of Zabuza raising a thin eyebrow in impatience for her to finally gather her wits. With a calming breath, Rias met Zabuza's gaze. "I would like to give you a bonus. For a job well done."

Zabuza's eyebrow didn't lower as he decided to play along, hoping that would speed things up. "Alright. And what kind of bonus are we talking about?"

Rias went from calm to teasing as she leaned forward. "Well, I was thinking the tradition reward for saving a maiden from a fire breathing monster."

_Can I take the castle and kingdom instea- _Any other thoughts were halted as his fellow king removed the remaining few inches separating her lips from Zabuza's. To him, it was just another kiss. Rias tasted different, and that's all he really thought of the matter. She couldn't match Mittelt's playfulness. Didn't match Kalawarner's gentle shyness or Raynare's focus of pleasing him. Nor the familiar sweetness that was Haku, but he wouldn't describe Rias as a bad kisser. Only a bit pushy as her arms wound around his neck, forcing him to lay upon the desk as he matched her enthusiasm with experience and effort.

For Rias, it was a slow build up to intoxicating. Starting with a pleasant tingle in her extremities, to a warmth in her chest as she felt a satisfying burning in the back of her throat, and the light-headiness that left her wanting just a taste more. A selfish demand which Zabuza seemed willing to let her indulge in.

Slim arms snaked around Zabuza's neck as Rias pressed against him, completely forgetting his injuries in the process. She wanted more, and each demanding kiss was met in full by the shark-toothed man before her as Rias's tongue met Zabuza's. It was the taste of him, a richness incomparable to anything she'd met previously that left the pair laying in the classroom, until she had to pull away herself away from him.

With a face to match her hair, Rias took deep breaths, desperately in need of air, slowly running her tongue over her bottom lip in anticipation for more. Dark chocolate, that was the closest she could describe the flavor. Sweet yet bitter, with an almost addicting after taste.

Zabuza's breathing nowhere near as heavy as Rias's, her palms on his chest with her neck just flushed as the rest of her. Half of the pair took a moment to gather herself, staring down at the pale teen she was straddling. The bored expression on his face seeming almost smug in the dim light of the classroom.

"Gremory..." Zabuza started, cut off by Rias placing a finger over his lips, not wanting him to ruin the moment.

"After all this, you are still going to refer to me by my surname? Will I have to give you another reward to earn my first name?" She teased, watching as Zabuza went from faintly smug, to amused before finally settling back on neutral and bored.

"Rias-."

"See, not that hard." She lent forward, to congratulate Zabuza with another kiss. Instead she was stopped by Zabuza's hand, pressing on her shoulder.

"Later." Zabuza couldn't help but predict that while most would be put out by their.. what was he? Boyfriend? Boyfriend, kissing another girl while she straddled him, Haku would be excited to the turn of developments, Rias unknowingly dancing along to his queen's plan.

Rias pouted before nodding, taking her time to slide off the desk, the implied promise being her only restraint from taking her fellow king then and there. She watched as Zabuza sat up, not bothering with any facial masking as he slipped his shirt back on, again to her disappointment and began to summon a magic circle.

"Zabuza."

He turned, one sleeve of his uniform still hanging loose as he was ambushed by one last chaste kiss on the lips. "Thank you. I don't know how we would have won without you."

"Mmmph" Zabuza grunted, caught slightly off guard by all the kissing. Unsure of what to do next, the pair stood there for a moment, Rias smiling up at Zabuza.

"Are you coming to the party tonight?" She asked, watching as Zabuza finished buttoning his vest. He gave a small nod as Rias took a step back. "Then I look forward to seeing you there."

Another nod, and Zabuza turned to the circle. Not sure of what to say, he bowed his head at Rias before disappearing in a flash of light, leaving behind a giggling red-head at the pale teenager's hasty retreat.

Rias shook her head with an amused grin, letting out one last laugh before turning to head back to the mini celebration before someone started asking questions.

* * *

Dancing. Formal, or informal, was not one of Zabuza's preferred past-times. _Could be worse._ He told himself, his arms could still be charred jerky.

Today had been surprisingly full of intimate contact for Zabuza. Returning to the lodge to relax for the afternoon leading up to the party, he found himself instead being used as a practice dummy for the girls. Haku having gotten it in her head that teaching the girl's the proper Senjutsu healing method was a perfect way to pass the time. He hadn't believed in divinity in either life, but he still sent out a prayer that he could get a proper rest tonight, even if it was with him surrounded on all-sides of his bed.

A quick glance to his left showed Mittelt and Raynare across the floor, enjoying themselves as they stepped in tempo to the music, quietly talking about who knows what. Haku was most likely off with Rias, and Kalawarner was within his grasp as the two enjoyed the orchestra. A benefit of heightened hearing was the accuracy and sensitivity it provided in the field. Unfortunately, it also promised Zabuza a headache after a another hour or two of listening to all the noise.

Music, chatter, glasses clinking and the ever present sound of just massive amounts of people in an enclosed space still left Zabuza slightly on edge, even after years of experience. Thankfully, Kalawarner seemed to have picked up on his tension and was keeping conversation light, content to sway with him, her head resting in the crook of his neck, with his hand gently pressed against her back and waist.

"This is nice.." She whispered into Zabuza's neck, glad she choose high-heels for the extra height they provided to her already tall frame, to bring her that much closer to Zabuza. Kalawarner had noticed an interesting fact in her brief time with her king. Standing at over six feet in height, the man's neck was far out of reach for her more vertically challenge peerage members, which left it available for her sole use. A privilege she was gladly abusing as they sway to the soft music.

"Does this mean more parties in my future?" He whispered back, shooting the old man who was ogling his partner's rear a particularly lethal looking glare. They were drawing a decent amount of attention for numerous reasons. One set of eyes mixing in with the rest as the pair continued their dance

"No, too many people. We can always do something a little more, private." She said, nuzzling further into Zabuza's neck with a content sigh.

"You people will be the death of me." Zabuza mumbled.

"And what a death it'll be for you." Kalawarner breathed quietly, before taking a teasing bite of the skin hidden under his white scarf. An action that result in a swift swat to her rear, a warning to calm down that she was going to listen to, for now.

* * *

"They really are a cute couple, aren't they?"

Rias nearly jumped at Haku's proclamation, lost in her own thoughts as she watched her pawn and bishop stumble about the dance floor. Asia was doing her best to lead a Issei who's sense of rhythm was endearingly lacking.

"Yes, they are. A shame he is as dense as a brick." Rias gave a sisterly smile, before taking a sip of champagne.

"Oh, give it time. I'm sure she'll get through to him." Haku said, taking another step to be side by side with the red-haired queen. "I suppose congratulations are in order. A free women. Anything special planned for the future?"

Rias laughed. "If you asked me a week ago? I would have said training to trounce Riser, but now? I honestly don't know. Perhaps go to university? Learn business in the human world?"

"As good a plan as any. You are young after all. Travel, see the world. Devote more time to the Rating Games. What is that phrase? Ah, yes. The world is your oyster." Haku mused, a small smile on her face.

"Training does sound rather nice. Perhaps work for a spot in the top ten?" She joked, smiling at the light chuckle that came out of Haku at the notion of dethroning one of the top ten.

"Miracles have happened before, I don't see why they can't happen again. I know it's rather soon, but anyone caught your interest? A lucky guy or gal?"

Rias froze, her smile etched like a marble carving as she locked eyes with Haku. _She knows. I forgot about her and Zabuza, and she knows that I..._ Various explicatives ran through Rias's mind as she stared down Haku's gentle smile like a dear in headlights. Rias liked to believe she was at least baseline competent at reading faces, but all she saw on Haku was gentle curiosity and an overall aura of tenderness.

"I-I, I may have found someone I am interested in." She managed to say, only tripping over the first word. Haku's bright brown eyes, and warm gaze turning from curious to pleasant surprise, which meant it couldn't have hurt less.

"Oh ho? And who was lucky enough to catch the attention of someone such as you? I was telling Zabuza what a catch during the training weeks. After all, Riser was certainly interested in you, and it's hard not to see why."

"Beautiful." The word seemed to tear through Rias like a shot, her fingers trembling against her flute of champagne. She looked at Haku, in her white lace dress and was flooded with images of a true angel, all soft curves and gentle smiles that could melt the heart of even the foulest beast. Of chocolate eyes and full lips that seemed made for kissing with their slight gloss.

"Intelligent." Another shot, as Rias again cursed herself. For all her intelligence, she hadn't been able to face Riser under her own power. She had forgotten something she'd known since day one, that Zabuza and Haku were closely involved, and finally that she didn't see this retribution coming. With an opening statement like 'They really are a cute couple, aren't they?', how could she not have known this was a trap?

"A kind and caring personalit-."

"Haku-. I'm. I'm sorry." Rias said, hoping to cut her dressing down short as she looked into Haku's concerned gaze. It wasn't that she didn't deserve it, she just wished it wasn't in such a public place, and with Haku looking so genuinely distraught at her nervousness.

"Whatever for Rias? If you are not feeling well, I would hardly ask for an apology. Things happen, I understand." Haku said, bringing her hand up to the hand Rias was holding her glass in, supporting her grip.

"I.. I kissed Zabuza. I'm sorry, it was in the heat of the moment after the match, and I was just so happy after we won, and he was half-naked, and he has those gorgeous pectoral's and I couldn't stop myself and I forgot about you and-." Rias's whispered ramblings were cut off by a soft finger to her lips.

"I'm well aware, I simply wanted to hear it from you." Haku smirked, as she dragged her finger across Rias's lips, before letting it rest on her cheek. The Gremory Heir had rather soft lips in Haku's opinion.

"You.. you aren't mad?" Rias squeaked out, as Haku laughed.

"Oh, not in the slightest. A bit annoyed that you took so long to let him come home so we could heal him properly, but mad that you kissed him? Not particularly. Though if you wish to make it up to me, you are more than welcome to."

Rias blinked and starred at the gir- young women before her. A kind and forgiving soul if there ever was one. "You are taking this so.. well. My apologies Haku, however could I repay you for your forgiveness?"

It was by pure luck the two were standing near a table, or Rias's glass may have shattered on the floor as Haku's lips touched her own. Instead, the crystal flute wobbled in place before settling as Haku's hands found Rias's waist, holding her steady as ecstatic chills went down Rias's spine.

Zabuza had been a hot fire, a desperate burning that demanded satisfaction, demanded more and more, seeming to leave her just one second from heaven. But Haku was gentle, a coolness to her touch that weakened Rias's knees and a comforting playfulness that Rias found herself being lured into before the brunette pulled away, a thin tendril of saliva hoovering between them before it was gone.

Smiling at her handiwork, Haku gave the momentarily stunned Rias a teasing pat on the cheek before leaning close, soft peach lips a breath away from Rias's ear. "Consider your apology accepted. And if you happen to want a little more of Zabuza. He's all yours for the night."

Her 'business' for the night concluded, Haku's lips brushed against Rias's cheek once more as she pulled away before departing with a smile, disappearing into the crowd with practice ease.

Unsure of what happened, even while being an intricate part of it, Rias brought one hand up to her mouth as she sat down, not having to guess what the small metal object in her dress pocket was, much less who slipped it to her.

No, the only thought on her mind as she relished in the feeling of her second kiss of the day, ignoring the looks she was receiving, was whether she'd take the queen up on her offer.

One glance across the hall, at a teenager in a pressed steel grey suit, a scarf over his mouth as he stood conversing with his twin pawns and her decision was made. The hours and the party couldn't tick away fast enough.

* * *

"Like a guppy that one."

The sound of flesh against flesh was muffled by the layers of finery Zabuza had been shoved into, as the back of Haku's hand hit his forearm. "Oh behave. I go to the trouble of introducing a lovely young women to you, and all you can do is call them fish lipped."

"All that work gone to waste. You poor thing." Zabuza snorted, arms crossed as he observed the crowd from his place by one of the many pillars. The night was only half way done, and he could already feel the pounding in the back of his skull, as he casually ignored his headache in favor of his queen.

"Quite, I go so far as to even kiss the girl-"

"An action you seemed to enjoy just as much as her." Zabuza cut in, eyes roaming back to his other three pawns as they quietly argued over who got the next dance.

"And all I get is complaints. Some might call you ungrateful."

"Some might be right." An answer worthy of another light smack, this time to his chest. "She'll be useful at least."

Haku seemed to hum in the back of her throat as if in disagreement, long enough for his eyes to focus back on her.

"While true, she's also a young women infatuated with you."

"And who's fault is it she's allowed to pursue that infatuation?"

"Why not mine of all, you were the one she kissed first." Haku's grin grew as Zabuza sighed. "Do treat her right. I can see a long and happy future with us in her future."

"You say that about every women we meet." Zabuza had given up arguing. He knew how this was going to play out. Another sleepless night on his part. _So long as she deals with the fallout from Raynare, Kalawarner and Mittelt, I don't care._

"Well, I am not wrong. Now, care for a quick dance? Or are you going to leave me fight it out with the table for my turn in line?"

Zabuza could only shake his head as he took the offered arm. He was in for a long night.

**An: **Alright, Riser stuff. Done. Next chapter we start Russia and gathering of the peerage (which is locked into place). Whether I release Zabuza's night with Rias next is entirely up to how inspired I get when trying to write it. Though I do hope their relationship doesn't seem to forced. That's why I used infatuation instead of love at least. Also, I like Haku who is fully aware of saying things without actually saying them with a genuine smile on her face. It's a good mental image.

But yes, to give a road map of where this thing is going. Mafia party starts next chapter with Zabuza finding his next peerage member. Do a short 3-4 chapter arc with them getting to know each other, then go back to the girls and the stuff they are getting up to (DxD cannonish stuff with their own shennanigan's mixed in)

On a side note before we go, completely unrelated to the peerage member. Tsunade is surprisingly short. I did not picture her as 5ft4. Then again, Haku is literally 5ft1 in cannon. Compared to Zabuza who's 6ft in cannon (6ft2 in this fic, mostly because he's had a life time of never missing a meal. A luxury that wasn't afforded to him in Kiri), they are both tiny.

Anyways, more chapters to come with a small question. Would you like me to stop being an indecisive tease and just release the peerage list, or do you want it to be a surprise? Regardless, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I shall see you next time!


	17. A Private Game III

_Should have kept your fat mouth shut. Didn't even say it out loud, but you are eating those words._

Zabuza was well aware that his second attempt at life could be best described as 'envious' and 'privileged'.

He had Haku, his ever faithful second in command, who did everything in her power to accommodate his wishes while doing her best to ensure he had a happy life. Even if some of her methods, this weird harem idea of hers for example, didn't make the most sense to him. Her heart was still in the right place, and there was no one he trusted more in the world than favorite tool.

There was the twins, whose loyalty and devotion had transcended time and space for a boss who found them as a useful annoyance at the best of times. Two selfish thugs who would gladly give their lives for him if needed, even if they cracked about how under appreciated they were in the process. Gozu and Meizu, his brothers in arms, and left-hand men.

To the newer additions, a trio of beautiful women, two of which who desperately craved his affection and attention, while the third simply wanted to ride him like a prized pony. All willing to go through brutal training to be a useful addition to his arsenal. Loyal tools in the making.

Now he had the heir to a powerful family interested in him. To many, his life couldn't be better.

And yet, as Zabuza observed Rias, the crimson haired king sat on his bed, he could almost find himself wishing for the days when he was back in Kirigakure, where the normal day consisted of suicide missions and playing handler to six of the most bloodthirsty swordsman to ever come out of the Bloody Mist.

All he wanted was to go to bed. He had been subjected to six hours of unfiltered noise from the dancing rabble, a band that did it's damnedest to be heard over the chatter, and his own paranoia at being watched. More than one set of eyes in the crowd had been looking him over as more than just a potential dance partner, and a pair of them was closely related to the red-head standing directly in front of him.

Instead, he watched Rias's hands rub against each other as she avoided eye contact, cheeks dusted pink in contrast to her white dress. _The typical blushing_ _bride._

"Rias. You know we don't have to do this, if you're nervous." Zabuza offered, in what he hoped was a supportive voice.

Rias's eyes rose to meet Zabuza's as she shook her head. "No, it's just.. I want to, but I'm nervous and.. well.." Her blush grew more pronounced as her gaze dropped to Zabuza's feet. "I'm not sure how to start..." She whispered.

An amusing admission coming from someone who propositioned him in the middle of the night, completely naked, but Zabuza wasn't going to say that out loud. Rias wanted her first time to be with him, the least he could do was not be an asshole about the whole affair. _Affair being the key word._ He was not looking forward to explaining to Raynare and the rest.

But that was a task best left to Haku. The same Haku who dragged his inebriated pawns into her room, with her only explanation being 'to give you and Rias some privacy.' It didn't take a genius to know his queen was going to have an interesting night as well, the wink wishing both of them luck. He could live a thousand life times, and Zabuza would still never understand Haku's train of thought.

His job was to deal with a smitten young woman. With a sigh, Zabuza got off the wall he was leaning on to take a seat next to Rias. He'd never had a problem taking the lead on missions, or in general, but having to initiate contact like this was new to him. Haku had been raring to go their first time together, Kalawarner and Raynare had taken the initiative as well and Mittelt. Mittelt's enthusiasm was almost disturbing in it's excess.

Rias could feel her heart beat as Zabuza sat down next to her. She had no experience in reading his expressions, but lacking his typical scarf or bandages, he looked almost pensive in his grey suit.

"You really want to do this?" He asked, one last time for confirmation. Rias didn't trust herself to not say something stupid, so she nodded. Of course she wanted this. She'd wanted it since she'd first touched her lips to his. Since she'd gotten the taste of him branded against her tongue.

Without any further preamble, Zabuza's hand shifted, placing itself on Rias's knee as he leaned closer. There was no slow build up this time. As his lips touched hers, Rias could feel the burning ache in her core reignite itself with a passion. She found herself shifting, leaning into Zabuza, pushing back against the bed, as her hands ran along his sides. Her hands took to exploring his body through the fabric of his suit, as his kept themselves firmly at her waist, the gentle palming of her flesh as she kissed him a promise of more to come.

She drew out the kiss, waiting until the burning of her lungs became unbearable. A quiet gasp escaped Rias as she drew in air, leaving an exposed target. Her gasp became louder as Zabuza's lips closed upon her neck, suckling the soft flesh of her neck. Rias's surprise turned to pleasant bliss as Zabuza's lips dotted her neck, leaving a trail of love bites on every spot of her throat he could reach. Haku's penchant for turtlenecks was becoming clearer in Rias's head with each soft nipping of her flesh.

Unwilling to let Zabuza get away unscathed, Rias drew back to reacquaint her lips with his as her hands met at the base of his throat. With only a briefly fumbling with the buttons of his dress shirt, she had started to undress him, a difficult task to focus on as she turned the tables, marking Zabuza's now exposed throat with gusto.

Zabuza leaned back, enjoying himself, his hands trailing along the back of Rias's dress as she nibbled at his flesh, and hands worked their way through the buttons. She had a taste to her. A hint of cinnamon. Nothing over powering, but enough to grab his attention as it lingered on his lips.

It took three more shifts of playing with each others neck for Rias to finally finish undoing Zabuza's shirt, brushing it aside to fully expose his chest. The same dark nipples from earlier that day seeming to greet her, and with a little hesitation she greeted them back, trailing kisses from Zabuza's bruised neck, down to his collar, and across his chest till she finally had the small nub in her mouth, tongue running along it in her brief kiss.

She felt more than heard the soft chuckle that came out of Zabuza from her actions. "What?" She asked, embarrassed and defensive of her actions as she lay ontop of Zabuza, absentmindedly playing his pecs, enjoying the way his chest seemed to jiggle under her touch.

"Didn't take you for the breast type." Zabuza teased.

"I recently picked up a little brother. Kind of a bad influence." Zabuza could only snort in agreement at that.

"Besides. Cute, small, perky breasts like these." Rias continued as she lowered her head back down to Zabuza's chest. "How could I not like them?" Another snort as she drew small circles with her nail along his nipple.

Zabuza didn't say a word, instead he rolled over, taking Rias with him, to put himself back on top, resting on his forearm to prevent himself from crushing her. The disgruntled pout on her lips was reward enough for his actions as he kissed her, his free hand sliding down the front of her dress, drawing a low moan against his lips as it gently hiked her dress up.

He had no idea what color underwear Rias wore under the dress, nor did he care as he gently ran a finger along her slit, feeling the damp spot grow under his touch, and her chest press against his as she arched her back.

Rias's moans turning to whimpers as Zabuza teased her, hand running against her labia through her panties as his kisses grew hungrier, kisses she met with a desperate glee. He was bringing her so close to release, as she felt the pressure building in her core only to him to draw away when she got to the brink of cumming. She knew her chest and face were flushed red as her hair when she got to the point of pulling away from Zabuza's lips.

"Please.." She begged, voice quiet as Zabuza's hand once again pulled away before she came.

That seemed to be all he wanted, as the corner of Zabuza's lips turned. His mouth went back to her neck, waiting in anticipation as his thumb brushed her clit. He kept going as Rias's cries of pleasure filled the room. Headache forgotten as he worked mercilessly, his hand sliding under her panties to play and tweak with Rias.

The bed under them seemed to shake and shift as Rias bit down on Zabuza shoulder, trying to muffle her moans as she trashed in glee under his touched. One release was followed quickly by another until she had to beg him to stop, his name being meshed with cries for more and less until he finally relented.

Zabuza watched Rias's chest heave as she took heavy breathes, her voice gone hoarse. Seeing that she was in no position to help, Zabuza took it upon himself to slide off his suit jacket and shirt before leaning back. With both hands, he raised Rias's legs and took hold of the waist band of her garments, pulling them up then off of her, to join his clothes on the floor.

With her mind no longer drowning under multiple waves of climax, Rias caught Zabuza's eye as he undid the button of his trousers. She watched, eyes lighting up in anticipation as he undid his zipper, and began to undress himself, until nothing remained except pale flesh.

Any doubt in her mind had been erased by Zabuza's hands, so she rose her hips, as Zabuza took the step forward needed to put himself back on the bed. She'd heard differing accounts on what her first time would be like. That there would be blood, that it would hurt, among other things, but as she felt Zabuza's cock rub itself against her vagina, she couldn't care less. It was something primal, greedy. She wanted more, and a little bit of pain wasn't going to stop her.

She did let out a silent gasp as she felt him enter, her lips in a perfect circle as he slid in deeper, his eyes watching her reaction as her slow nods urged him on until he was root deep. Her arms around his neck brought him close enough to almost kiss, but she held herself back as Zabuza's cock ground against her with each slow thrust.

He went slow, no longer the deliberate teasing he had shown earlier, but him simply testing her. Shifting angles or slight changes in position that find which drew out the best sound. Once he found a spot Rias seemed to particularly like, he let loose. Unhurried thrusts turned into deliberate poundings that stretched Rias's raw voice to the breaking point as her moans turned animalistic, breasts flying free of her dress to bounce to the relentless rhythm that Zabuza.

It was all she had in her to keep from blacking out, driven by whatever hunger that Zabuza had awaken in her with that first kiss as she demanded for him to go harder, faster until she felt her walls grip him tighter and the slow drip of her own cum against her inner thighs. It was the same hunger that locked her ankles behind Zabuza's waist as she felt his member start to throb inside her, pulling in for one last powerful thrust as he came inside her.

Rias had to smile at the small breathes she could hear Zabuza taking after he came. Not that she was in any better a position, having given up on any pretense of being quiet. Instead she rocked her hips, feeling Zabuza's penis twitch inside her as she played with a strand of hair on the back of his head. She, was nowhere near done for the night.

"Can't even give a guy a moment to catch his breath, can you?" Zabuza's voice was low and gravelly, sending shivers down Rias's spine as she continued to smile up at him. Her answer was simple, using her legs to pull him deeper inside her, enjoying the sensation his warm cock rubbing against her with the slick coating of his seed.

His response to her challenge left nothing to be desired.

* * *

She could feel his breath against her chest. Head nestled in her cleavage, she was playing with a strand of his hair as Zabuza slept with her breasts as a pillow. She didn't remember falling asleep herself, but the time said otherwise.

He didn't snore. In fact, if it wasn't for the hot breath brushing against her in a steady rhythm, she might not have known if he was even asleep.

Tonight had been.. fun. She couldn't think of the right word, still running off a high like nothing she'd ever experienced before. It had been better than anything she'd ever imagined, but in the darkness of Zabuza's room with nothing left to do she could only take stalk of her emotions.

Was she in love? Rias couldn't answer that with a real degree of honesty. All she knew, was that the pale king was starting to grow on her, a position cemented within the past few hours. So no. It might have been love right now, but she was young. She felt that love was a possibility, and more importantly, she had time. To get to know him, to learn about him, for him to learn about her. Time for them to fall in love.

_Yes.. yes I do._ Rias smiled to herself as she dropped the spiky hair, arms wrapping around Zabuza's neck to pull him deeper into her chest as she drifted back to sleep.

AN: Yo. Rias lemon, done. Actual chapter will hopefully be done this week, and with the holidays coming up, I'm hoping to get a few more chapters out. Its going to be an interesting thing dealing with Rias and Raynare's group, but that will be it's own arc-thing while Zabuza is messing around in Russia. Anyways, not a whole lot to add to the notes this week. Just hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you have a good day ^.^


	18. New Game: First Move II

"Nice of you to join us, sleepin beauty."

"Shut it." Zabuza said, cracking his jaw as he took a seat at the kitchen table, followed by a short nod of thanks to Gozu for the coffee. "How the hell you two are so chipper is beyond me."

Meizu's smirk couldn't be seen under his collar, much less his mask but Zabuza knew it was there as the pawn toyed with a spoon, absentmindedly bending the steel between thumb and forefinger. "Ah, don't mind us. Couple of earlier risers, no big deal. Not like we get to sleep in to five in the morning like some other layabouts."

"Mostly because we haven't gone to sleep yet." Gozu corrected as he took a seat beside his brother.

"Sell out."

"Liar." Gozu countered before snatching the spoon from it's tormentor, tossing it into the sink to be fixed later.

Zabuza sat back, listening to the familiar sound of the brother's sniping at each other as he cleared his head, the bitter smell of caffeine invading his nose. Once he was awaken, and bored of the ever-increasingly elaborate insults being flung by the duo, he rapped his knuckles on the table to get their attention.

"Well?" He asked without preamble.

"Nothing much. Most people seem to still be in shock that Gremory actually won, much less that you were involved. Those that aren't are caught between whether to decide if you were paid off, or you were the reason Gremory didn't want to marry Phenex in the first place." Meizu said, gloved finger tapping a rhythm into the table now that he didn't have anything to play with.

"People love a love story."

Zabuza could only nod at Gozu's comment as he took a grudging sip of coffee. "Anyone of interest?"

"Would hardly call a Satan just anyone." Meizu mused.

"Sirzech spent a portion of the night observing you at the ball. We lack any evidence to conclude if the interest is personal, or professional."

"It'd be interesting to see how he reacts to the fact you're plowing his sister. If rumors are true, guy makes Mangetsu look neglectful."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Zabuza ignored the snickering as he waited for the brothers to continue.

"Aside from that, not much else. Your Pops had a few choice words, but meh." Meizu shrugged in indifference as Zabuza chuckled darkly.

"And a septic tank smells like shit, what else is new."

"We will keep up surveillance, but currently, I think many are processing the events of last night and we'll hear more in the future."

One last nod as Zabuza set his mug down. "And the housing issue?"

"All sorted." The twins chimed together.

"We've moved our junk onto our floor and most of the shared stuff into the general place."

"We thought it best to allow the girls to attend to their own things. To avoid any mishandling."

"And you're plan for the rest of the day?"

Gozu glanced at Meizu, who returned the smug look with a rather heated glare. "Getting plastered in Greece or somewhere, then complete some actual assignments after we've slept."

"Lost the coin flip?" Zabuza's question was answered with a raised middle finger. He brushed off Gozu's disrespect with years of practice as he gave a dismissive wave of his hands. "Bugger off then, and don't do anything too stupid. I'm not bailing you out for at least a week if you get tossed into jail."

"See, we must be growing on him. Only a week this time, not two. Next thing you know he might promise to get us out in a day." Meizu joked as the pair got ready to leave, their own mugs going into the sink as they stood up.

"Growing on him like a fungus, probably." Gozu said in agreement, the pair bouncing analogies off of each other even as they disappeared in the light of a summoning circle. Leaving Zabuza to simply shake his head as he got ready for his morning training, knowing exactly how he got stuck with the two, but still wondering all the same.

* * *

Raynare woke to a valley of curves, some soft and subtle, others firm and pronounced. Her face rested against Haku's bare back as the rest of her body was trapped in the sweaty tangle of limbs that was Kalawarner and Mittelt.

Stifling a yawn, Raynare began the slow process of untangling herself, sliding her arms out from under Haku as she did her best to avoid kicking one of her fellow pawns away. There wasn't a clock in sight, and heavy curtains, thankfully, blocked any morning light as she finally managed to stumble out of bed. Everything hurt as she stretched, watching Mittelt shift herself to use Kalawarner's ample cleavage as a pillow, as Haku rolled over, chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm now that Raynare's hand wasn't groping it.

She struggled into one of Zabuza's various shirts the group had stolen, the fabric going down just past her waist, so it was deemed decent enough. The only ones in the house were herself, Haku, Kalawarner, Mittelt and Zabuza, all of whom had seen her in far more lewd manners.

It was with a quiet reluctance that Raynare walked towards the bathroom, knowing she wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon, before she set herself to brushing her teeth, peppermint and fluoride washing away the taste of cum from her mouth. She was going to have to change into a long sleeve shirt if she didn't want the various love bites on her arms to show, _Or, we could not._

Raynare thought to herself as she finished rinsing out her mouth, modesty was by no means a prized commodity in the Momochi residence, and her head was pounding to loudly for her to care.

Eventually it came down to a debate of whether to have a shower now or later, the desire for something to help her head and some food in her stomach winning out as the she-devil made her way to the kitchen.

Zabuza didn't say a word to her as she took a spot at the kitchen table, greeting her with a small nod before she slumped down, forehead resting against the cool wood. She sat there, one eye peaking out beneath her hair and limps as she watched her king move quietly about the kitchen. The hints of sweat, and loose clothing hinted that he'd been training, most likely letting everyone else sleep in.

The lack of conversation was a blessing, as she watched Zabuza work, not sure how she'd react to any loud noises. She couldn't remember if it was his turn to make breakfast, but that didn't stop her from leaning out of her chair to kiss the big lug as he set a mug of coffee before her as well as some toast with peanut butter.

Raynare took small bites of the toast as Zabuza continued to work, nodding in greeting as people began to trickle in. Mittelt looked sick as she took her customary bowl of cereal, with Zabuza having to save he from landing first face in milk on more than one occasion until everyone had arrived at the table. Conversation was non-existent, as everyone with the exception of Zabuza was nursing a hangover and a sore throat from their late night activities.

It would have been a peaceful morning in Raynare's opinion than Gremory walked in, clad in the same borrowed t-shirt, tousled hair, uniform as the rest of them.

Rias froze in the doorway, stopping as she saw every feminine eye turn to focus on her. Haku's smile was welcoming, if not a bit strained, while the rest were a ranged of open to muted hostility. It was only her own pride as a devil and Zabuza's nod that allowed her to gather her courage and take the open seat beside Haku.

"What is she doing here?" Mittelt was the first one to crack as she gazed up at Zabuza, looking more curious and annoyed than angered at the surprise guest.

"Eating breakfast." Zabuza deflected, setting a plate of eggs and toast in front of the red-head, getting a quiet and surprised 'thank you' in response.

"Why is she doing it here?" The heat in Kalawarner's voice was tangible as Zabuza shrugged.

"She spent the night." Kalawarner's fork bent under his grip at Zabuza's casual dismissal.

"Meaning?" The bluenette asked.

"Meaning, she will be treated with the same level of civility as everyone else, just as she will treat you. You came into this situation fully knowing you would be sharing with more than just myself, and that someone may come along that you disagree with." Said Haku, empty fruit bowl pushed forward, to be placed in the sink by Zabuza as she continued. "We are all aware that you did not meet in the best of circumstances." Haku ignored the snort that drew from Raynare. "But, I see no reason that, both sides, can not attempt to bury the hatchet."

Haku's gaze met Kalawarner's. "I warned you that you may not like everyone who joins us. For that I apologize, but I see no reason why we can't try to tolerate each other."

"She tried to kill us. Succeeded in two cases." Kalawarner countered.

"And how many times did you kill her pawn? Or her bishop?" A look from Haku was all it took for Rias to hold her tongue, a slight chilling going down her spine. "Neither of you handled the situation in a professional or clean manner. Rias could have done a far better job of keeping Issei both informed and protected, while you three could have refrained from intentionally antagonizing them. They had both the home field advantage, and reinforcements. You three are clever, strong combatants, but you let your egos get in the way of your objective. For both of your mistakes, a price was paid. Now are we going to squaddle like children, or finish wallowing in our alcohol induced misery like proper adults?"

Zabuza kept quiet, face neutral as he leant against the counter. Raynare's eyes shifted from Haku to him. There were questions hidden behind her violet eyes, shown by an arced eyebrow, a look he had to wonder if she'd taken from him. Whether she found what she was searching for or not, Raynare nodded and went back to her toast.

Silence prevailed, only Haku and Raynare doing more than picking at their breakfast. Kalawarner kept Rias in the corner of her eye until Mittelt finished her cereal.

"I have only one question." The petite blonde asked as Zabuza took the offered bowl, a small grunt in the back of his throat telling her to proceed with whatever question she had. "Zabuza, do tell. How good of a lay was the crimson princess? She rock your world? Just another notch in the belt? Do we, or more specifically Haku, now have to worry bout her monopolizing your time? And more importantly, is she open to repayments of anguish in the form of her and myself tussling in the sheets?"

"No comment." Zabuza didn't need to turn around to notice that Rias's face was as red as her hair. The sputtering and coughing was a perfect clue. "As for the second part, I don't know."

"Booo, come on. Details, Cupcake, I want details."

"Ask her yourself."

* * *

Russia held a special place in Zabuza's heart, right beside the Land of Snow from his previous life. Both locations had provided ample work, and good pay, at the cost of being a frozen hellhole. The wet winters of Kiri, where snow could reach up to a man's waist were nothing to the sheer, bitter cold of Russia and the Land of Snow.

Regardless, work was work as Zabuza made his way through the windy streets, wrapped up in a jacket and various other gear to prevent himself from freezing to death. The irony that Zabuza hated the cold, even though Haku was among the few people he cared about was not lost on him. He hated the extra layers, the padding and the restricted movements that came with all the clothing he had to wear to keep his fingers attached.

Zabuza was a man who hated clothing on principle, and anything that required him to wear more of the stuff was not alright in his books.

But today, thoughts about how to kill a season, or if this Mother Nature he'd heard tales of could be convinced to tone it down a bit were muted by his thoughts of his peerage.

He had not felt right leaving today, even after all of them had sent him off with a kiss. Another action he objected to on principal, but was overruled. _Democracy, my frozen left nut._ The promise from Haku that she would sort things out with the girls was the only reason he'd left to the barren tundra that was Saint Petersburg. Tools were just as liable to cut their wielder, as the enemy if handled incorrectly, and he was still trying to understand the best way to deal with Raynare, Kalawarner and Mittelt.

Mittelt took the news surprisingly well, more interested in making Rias pay for her crimes with increasingly lewd acts. While Raynare, he had his suspicions she thought Rias was being used as a test of loyalty, and if had been, she'd have passed. No fuss was raised, no questions asked, only a simple nod as she waited to see how events unfolded. Kalawarner though. He should have predicted her hesitancy with welcoming Rias into the fold. He'd overestimated things, and now Haku had to deal with the mess.

_Not that it isn't her mess in the first place._ He had no idea why Haku was so adamant bout this harem, but so long as she wanted it, she'd have to put in the effort to make it work.

Speculations about Haku and his tastes, left Zabuza's mind as he stood before the doors of a derelict church. He had business to conduct and packages to pick up. Pushing the doors open with ease before closing them quickly, wanting as little heat to escape as possible, mute brown eyes met his as he stepped past the foyer into the cathedral. Chipped crosses and pitted mosaics lined the walls.

In the soft window light, it could be generously described as cozy, or humbled, but Zabuza had other words for it. Decrepit, rotted, and battered. The symbols of Christ and The Lord hung all around him, but it was a mere layer for show. God had left this place long before he had stepped foot into it for the first time.

"Hello my child, how may we be of assistance?" Zabuza didn't bother removing any of the layers on himself, the church had a draft and his business would be over shortly as he turned his attention to the elderly sister who addressed him, moth-eaten robes hanging off her thin frame.

"Sister Alyona. Tell her the one looking for his quart of wheat is here."

"Why yes, she'll be out shortly." Zabuza's smirk was hidden under a scarf as the elder women's eyes narrowed, the grandmotherly facade slipping away as quickly as it had come. He didn't bother to wait as he took as seat among the pews as she turned, he was not going anywhere without supervision. One could only trust a devil so far.

* * *

"It's about time you showed up. Another day or two, and I'd have nothing left to sell you."

"Seeing as I already ordered my goods, the only items you'd have left to trade, in another day or two, would be your life."

"Bad manners to threaten a matron in her own church, boy." Alyona reprimanded, bones creaking just as loudly as the wood beneath her as she took a seat.

"And yet, I can't find it in myself to care." Zabuza said, glancing at the elder women out of the corner of his eye.

"Humph. Mother never taught you manners, did she boy? If you were my son, I'd have beaten you to death for a wisecrack like that."

"Thank Satan for small mercies. Now, the metals?"

Alyona waved a dismissive hand. "In the back, along with everything else. It'll cost you an extra ten percent though. Kirill said the dealer needed some extra convincing. Another buyer, looking to purchase in bulk. Had to haggle out your measly supply from the snake as it was."

"And that is your problem, not mine. The payment remains the same." Zabuza shrugged in indifference as the old woman's spine straightened up, milky green eyes glaring across at him.

"And what's to stop us from selling it to someone else? You're hardly the only one looking to purchase Sky Iron, Tungsten and Hihi'irokane."

"Nothing, really." Zabuza turned, locking eyes with the matron as he brought a hand up. With a single finger, he pulled down his scarf, revealing his face. "Pride mostly, and good business sense. We made a deal after all." He flashed a smile, all sharp teeth and predatory amusement before he pulled his scarf back into place.

"I will be back either tomorrow or the day after to transport the goods. You will be given the previously agreed upon amount, and we will both go our separate ways until our next deals." He continued, standing up from the pew as he felt his phone vibrate in his coat pocket, his ride was here.

Sister Alyona simply glared at him, he could see her weighing her options, choosing which was the lesser evil of the situation before nodding. "One day boy, you won't be able to get everything you want through strength of arm. Best hope it doesn't come too soon."

"For your sake, hope that day doesn't come at all." Zabuza turned towards the door, taking three steps towards it before calling back over his shoulder, one last glare to reinforce the message, brought forth by Haku's lessons on politeness coming to mind. "A pleasure as always Sister."

**An:** Not much to say. Simply that this is where stuff starts to diverge slightly from cannon. So, abandon ship all ye faithful who simply want a retread. And yes, Rias is part of the Harem. The friction that will be coming up with this decision will be brought up in a few chapters when we switch back to Haku and the girls, while Zabuza does stuff in the frozen hellhole that is stereotypical Russia.

As for Hihi'irokane, apparently it's the Japanese equivalent of Orichalcum, which most people who know fantasty or rpgs should have a small idea on what that is. So yeah, Zabuza's buying steel, mystical and not-so-mystical off the blackmarket for reasons.

Anyways, reviews and such always welcome, along with guesses on peerage members (none of which to be OC's in case anyone is wondering) and what Zabuza is up to. Aside from that, hope you enjoyed the chapter and have a good day ^.^


	19. Second Move II

"This was unnecessary." Zabuza grunted as the car door closed behind him, hats and extra scarves being shed in favor of soaking up the heat.

"I would have picked you up at the airport. But it seems you had other business." Milan joked, watching the teenager across from him shed layers of clothing across his plush leather seating. "I didn't take you for a man of god."

"Everyone's got a hidden vice or two." Zabuza grumbled, straightening himself, and his suit out to look at his companion. Milan Platon hardly looked his role in society, hair long gone white with age, wrinkles set deep into his skin and enough muscle on him to put a grizzly to shame, he looked a closer resemblance to a retired construction worker than mob boss. It was the eyes that gave him away, that could go from quietly shimmering amber, to molten gold depending on his mood.

"I've always found bread to taste best when made with water and barley, instead of prayer and hymns. But good of you to make it Zabuza." Milan leaned forward, his hands clasping Zabuza's in a firm shake as their driver started off.

Zabuza returned the solid grip with one of his own before the older man leaned back, pillowed against his fur overcoat. How he could deal so casually with the changing temperatures was beyond Zabuza, but he certainly envied the man for it. "The twins said you were adamant I make an appearance." The unspoken question of 'why' hung in the air.

"An old man worries in his age. You are not, officially at least part of the family, but I still care. Besides, it is rude of me. You work for me for years, yet I never do you the pleasure of introducing my granddaughter?" Zabuza's eyes bore a hole through the man's head as he continued. "A shame, and my wife pushed so hard for it. Says you are just a boy, should have some fun. Says if you work half as hard as the twins, it's a miracle you can even sleep. How could I say no?"

"Two letters, one syllable?" said Zabuza, arms crossing over his chest, as he continued to stare down the other man.

"Not buying it, huh?" An almost non-existent eyebrow cocked up. "Didn't think you would. Personally, I don't think it is a problem, but the wife says 'jump', I jump and get everyone else jumping as well."

_Oh, I can relate to that._ Least Haku didn't explicitly order him about, that would be a little beyond the boundaries.

Milan's hand rose, reaching into one of his coat pockets to pull out a cigar. With a questioning look towards his younger escort, the man pulled out a lighter as well, taking the indifferent shrug as permission. "Wife trying to get me to quit. I tell her that I am past 80 and crime lord, most likely to die with bullet in head than in my bed, but no. Lower cholesterol, and stop smoking. Bah. I drink a bottle of scotch with breakfast, lunch and dinner, for first twenty years of our marriage. I'm probably more embalmed then most of the poor slabs in the morgue."

Zabuza waited, knowing Milan would get to the point eventually, nodding slightly in time with the jokes.

"Still, she worries. Worries bout me, worries bout Klara, and if she has the time, she probably worries bout you." Zabuza didn't bother to hide the snort that sentiment brought forth, Milan chuckling along with him. "My thoughts exactly. Still, she is asking for a favor. Klara has never been a social girl. Polite to a fault? Absolutely, but no real friends that we know of and no real interests aside from her crafts."

"Me? I'm willing to write it off. Smart girl, would do lovely in the family business. But if you wouldn't mind, just talk to her. See if you can get a conversation going. One day she'll take my place as head of the family, and it'd be nice if she could do more than keep people at arms length." Milan paused, tapping ashes off the tip of his cigar. "Would certainly put my wife's concerns to rest."

Milan's eyes met Zabuza's. Gold pressing against earthen brown before Zabuza lowered his chin in agreement. "I make no promises."

"All she asks for, is an attempt. Klara has shut out smother criminal's than you, my boy."

"And here I thought I was being suave... Any other business, or was it just the party?"

"Straight to the point as usual, eh? Can't allow us to banter for a bit? The twins are rather good at that."

"If those two know how to do anything, it's talk."

"Quite." Milan grinned. "But nothing to bother you about. The local punks have been getting uppity, but until they grow a pair, I'll hold you in reserve. Anything else is already with the twins. Take the night off and relax, Zabuza. It's a party."

* * *

It was quieter than Gremory's party, no live band, only the buzz of hundreds of people stuck in one place. Certainly a plus in Zabuza's mind as Milan lead him through the crowd, stopping every few steps to be introduced to an old family friend or business partner. Some people he knew by name, others by reputation. All of them he nodded politely, the model of professional behavior, as he shook hands and kept the ass kissing to the bare minimum.

_One day this might be your day job._ Zabuza thought with a tired sigh as he listened to a Ukrainian arms dealer tell a story about his nephew. Long years as a Kiri-nin had taught Zabuza how to tune out Yagura, or any of his fellow swordsman, a skill that was being stretched to its limits here.

Finally, Milan managed to pull him away after exchanging business cards, drawing him to a crowd of people his own age. "Schmoozing is done for the night, my boy. I don't think Blistof noticed, but you looked ready to slice him into tiny little pieces."

"Can only take so many stories about a boy and the dog that ate his underwear." Zabuza agreed in a low grumble.

"Well, time for the main event." Milan said, thumping Zabuza on the shoulder with one of his meaty hands.

"Oh joy." He said, sending a glare at the shithead who had bumped into him as Milan politely lead him through the throng of teens, most of them dragged here as well by family members. Still, he was here for business, not to get plastered and dance.

* * *

Zabuza had no idea what Milan's son had looked like, nor the man's wife. So, he had no idea if Klara took after either of them, all he could see was the same amber eyes as her grandfather, off-set by pastel blue hair and a lip piercing. She looked more like a punk in her black dress than a future mob boss as she leaned against the wall, obviously more interested in watching the party than participating.

"Klara. There you are. Tricky as always to find. Enjoying the party?"

"Yes. Thank you Grandfather." Klara's eyes quickly went from Milan to Zabuza, and he had to compliment her poker face. "And who is this?"

"Ah, good of you to ask. Zabuza. My granddaughter Klara. Klara, Zabuza does some freelance work for me. I was hoping to introduce the two of you." Zabuza took the step forward to extend his hand, meeting Klara's halfway as they shook.

"Zabuza Momochi. A pleasure." To Zabuza's surprise, a line of recognition came over Klara's face before she straightened out, her attention focused solely on him.

"Klara Platon. The pleasure is all mine." She responded, voice cold and smooth. Just his luck, he would run into another reincarnated shinobi. "Grandfather. Have you given Zabuza a tour of the house, yet?" Her eyes never leaving Zabuza's.

"Why, no I haven't. Why don't you show him around? Neither of you seem to enjoy the noise."

"In that case, this way." Klara turned on her heels, and set off to a nearby doorway, leaving Zabuza to spare one last glance at Milan. The old fool had a dopey smile on his face and was giving him a thumbs up for luck.

_Of course he is._ Zabuza thought before turning to follow Klara.

* * *

"The Demon of the Mist."

Zabuza simply stared down at 'Klara', ignoring the knife at his throat as he leaned against the wall. A deserted hallway wouldn't have been his first choice for an interrogation, but this wasn't his choice. The knife probably couldn't even draw blood in her current form.

"I suggest you start talking." Klara threatened, pressing the blade into his skin, Zabuza's eyebrow raising in response.

"About? I don't talk to small fries who weren't even in the bingo book."

"Coming from a man who's revolution failed because of something as simple as a traitor." Low blow.

"My point still stands. You want to talk? I need a name, Klara." He leaned forward, pushing back the blade as he let a little killing intent slip through as his eyes met hers.

Unphased by the killing intent that blanketed the hall way, Klara seemed to weigh her options. "Hardly matters. What are you doing here?"

"Being threatened by a punk in a dress." Zabuza chuckled before his arm shot up, grabbing Klara by the wrist. The elbow to his throat might have worked if she was a devil instead of a human, but since she wasn't, it wasn't even a hindrance as Zabuza switched positions, returning the favor with Klara's blade now to her throat. "Or not."

Klara simply glared at him.

"You realize that this is pointless? There is no Kiri, no Konoha, Suna, Iwa or Kumo in this world. Any loyalties you had died with you. Now we can do this the easy way, or I kill you and I can't promise you'd get a third time around. Can you be reasonable?"

Amber eyes weighed the options in front of her before she nodded. With that, Zabuza backed off, and gave Klara her knife back, watching it disappear into the fabric of her dress as the two of them squared off.

"Zabuza, formerly of Kiri." He said, with a slight bow of his head.

"Konan, formerly of Ame and Akatsuki."

**AN: **And thus enters Konan. I'm hoping to get another chapter or two out within the week, but I make no promises. As usual, reviews and comments are welcome, and I hope you have a good day.


	20. Third Move II

Beanbag chairs. He'd expected a lot of things, but beanbag chairs were not one of them. He had no idea why it threw him off so much as he sunk into it, but he expected something different from a supposed S-Rank criminal.

"Tea?" Said S-Rank criminal asked, receiving only a shaken head as an answer. Neglecting to pour herself a cup, Konan took a seat across from Zabuza, perfectly at ease in her own room.

Konan watched as Zabuza processed her earlier words. She would admit that her curiosity was peaked as the slivers of brown watched her, picking her apart to see if she was lying. Kisame had talked at length about his former partner, citing his eyes as particularly important. That the bored, uninterested look he constantly wore was just another mask underneath it all.

"And here I thought the only shinobi of note from Ame was Hanzo." He mused out loud. "Would explain the black out..."

"Times change, and tyrants die." She responded, Zabuza watching her as if waiting to pounce on the slightest lie or contradiction.

"And you did it?" No tone of disbelief or doubt, just simple curiosity.

"I didn't hold the knife, but I was among the few responsible for Hanzo's end." Konan said with a humble incline of her head. She watched as Zabuza's arms unfolded, a hand going up to run through his hair as he locked eyes with her. No words were exchanged as his hand dropped back to his side.

"Just my luck. I run into an S-rank criminal, and can't collect the bounty." He said with an amused shake of his head.

"I imagine you'd have been worth far more. Our coup succeeded, so I was little more than another Ame shinobi." Konan smirked, she missed this. The idea of having someone, anyone who understood part of her past. Her new family meant well, but she was not a child to be coddled or a disinterested teenager. Even if she was conversing with a reputed monster, at least he knew what it felt like to be unwillingly ripped from one life and transported into another.

"One part of the most wanted group of individuals on the continent... That's how you weren't caught, wasn't it?" She nodded, watching as Zabuza put a few more puzzle pieces in place. "Interesting." Was all he said, barely above a whisper as he looked at her with something almost akin to respect.

"Indeed... Would you care to rejoin the party?" She asked, glancing towards the door. She'd taken him out of sight so she could have this conversation without

"Hardly." Zabuza didn't move from his seat, examining the confident slouch of the blue-haired woman across from him. If she was S-rank, he was thankful she was born human. He hadn't had a chance to test himself against anyone he'd consider above A-rank, and if she had powers, things would have gone differently when she pulled a knife on him. If things had gone Konan's way, his throat would have been slit and his body tossed into one of the many rooms to be disposed of at her convenience. _Wouldn't have left a stain either._ Zabuza thought to himself, the carpet under his feet a dark crimson that could hide blood with ease.

Konan's desire to return to the mass of well-wishers and sycophants matched Zabuza's. Too many people in such an enclosed space brought a lifetime of paranoia to the forefront of her mind, never mind the fact she knew less than half of the occupants as only names. Shinobi rarely made for social creatures it seems. She weighed a question. "You are different than I expected." She admitted.

"If Kisame was your only source, then you have a rather skewered view point." Zabuza shrugged. The former Akatsuki had caught his interest, and anything was preferable to another headache. So he would play along.

"He talked about you quite often."

"Nothing nice, knowing him."

"On the contrary." She said, watching him in turn. "He spoke quite highly of you, which is why I am intrigued. He praised your ruthlessness, your ambition and your cunning. He spoke of the lengths you would go to complete a mission, and your loyalty to your village. In his own words, he viewed you as neither the strongest, or greatest shinobi. But a model to be followed. Which is why I am curious. Why did such a man dream of killing his Kage?"

"The victorious rebel asks the failed revolutionary, why?" Zabuza's voice was a low growl, lacking any heat behind it even as old wounds came to the forefront of his mind. He shifted in the beanbag, resting his chin against his fist as continued. "Why were you part of Akatsuki? Safety? Power? Money? Ideals? The purpose of a ninja is simple. Serve and obey the village. You are a tool, to be wielded by your betters. When the village commands you kill the enemy, you do it with purpose, each death bringing further prosperity. And yet, out of every hidden village. Why is Kiri, known as the Bloody Mist?"

"The mentality." Konan offered with calm assurance.

"The village is part of the whole, and every ninja serves it. Loyalty is raised from birth, clans allowed to prosper, and individuals rewarded for their service. Except in Kiri. Loyalty is forged and beaten into you. Some would say the village was in decline. I'll be more honest, after the death of the Second, it became a crap hole. That which had made us strong, was turned into our weakness. The Third's graduation exams produced killers, and little else. Tracking, medical, diplomatic and various other skills fell to the wayside as it boiled down to who wielded the knife best. For a time it made us strong. Then came the puppet king."

"Yagura?" She asked, knowing only the basic info of the Jinchuriki-Kage. Zabuza nodded before continuing.

"What was a flawed system became an active hindrance under his reign."

"So you ended it." Another nod.

"Every ninja serves the village, the Kage is not exempt from this. And in Kiri, the moment you become a determent to the village. You are dead. The Bloody Mist had started to devour itself. I was one of many to attempt to put a stop to it."

"Kisame did mention a traitor." Konan's amber eyes bore into Zabuza as she processed the information.

"Shirochi got what was coming to him." Zabuza resisted the temptation to snarl out the name, reigning in his temper. He sighed, wondering what his life was coming to that he was lounging around with a member of the Akatsuki, swapping stories. _Death makes strange bed fellows-... _He glanced over Konan, cutting off any thoughts about bed fellows, the last thing he needed was to bring home another woman.

"Interesting." Konan concluded, unaware of Zabuza's train of thought as she stood up. The tea from earlier was still warm as Konan poured herself a cup, before settling back down, curling up like a cat.

"Hardly..." Zabuza snorted. "Traitors get what they deserve. Kisame or I made sure of that. Though I am curious, the Akatsuki originated in Ame?"

Konan nodded slowly. "Another sob story of people of people looking for peace or demanding better of their village. We both could probably list dozens, and I don't feel like boring you with my own."

He shrugged and rolled his shoulder. "Seems to be the trend, yes."

"Guess we are the lucky ones then. We got a chance at a better life." Konan said with a grim chuckle.

"One way to look at it." Zabuza mumbled, thoughts going back to Japan, specifically Haku and his peerage. He'd made a rare find, but he'd prefer to be back home, training. He could only hope they weren't slacking without him.

* * *

"Ah, here you two are..." Zabuza's gaze shifted, he had heard Milan's footsteps coming down the hall, so he wasn't surprised when the door opened to reveal the aging mobster. "Enjoying the party I see." He said with a knowing smile.

"Hello Grandfather. We seem to have lost track of time." Milan just waved a wrinkled hand dismissively.

"Bah, don't be bothered. Most of the guests have already gone home, and I plan on kicking the rest of the drunk bastards out within the hour. More important matters after all. Did you have fun?" He asked, glancing between Zabuza and Konan, giving them a smile as large as it was genuine.

"It was enjoyable... Yes." What shocked Konan was the fact that she meant it. She hadn't enjoyed anyone's company as much in years, even if it was swapping stories about missions, some funny, most of them just recounts of interesting scenario's that popped up in the line of duty. There was no roaring laughter, or the chaos that was characteristic of her time in Akatsuki, it was simply... peaceful. She had expected Zabuza to be.. far more different that Kisame's stories painted him. He didn't seem to radiate anger. Power, and confidence, sure but nothing compared to the bloody monster she'd heard tales of. It was, intriguing.

"Excellent." Milan exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Now, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your grandmother says the young ones best get to sleep." His attention shifted to Zabuza. "We have a room for you a few halls away, I'll be happy to show it to you."

"Already got a hotel." He countered.

"Nonsense. It's late, you are young, and don't have a car. You'll stay the night. I'll send someone to pick up your things in the morning, for now, come. Get some rest." Milan's tone was light but broke no argument, leading Zabuza to pull himself up and give a gruff 'Good evening' to Konan alongside a nod before waiting in the hallway. He listened to the pair wish each other a good night, hearing Milan close the door and start to lead him through his labyrinth of a mansion.

"Apologies for that. I put it off as long as I could, but you know the wife." Milan chuckled as Zabuza simply nodded along, passing by various doorways and portraits. "Good to see you two getting along though. A pleasant surprise if I ever had one."

"We have.. a surprising amount of things in common." Zabuza answered carefully.

"Oh? Would you be willing to educate an old man in what?" A subtle shake of Zabuza's head, and Milan chuckled. "Didn't think so. Damn brats and their secrets. Still, good to see her opening up to someone." He stopped in front of a door at the end of the hallway, a good two minute walk away from Konan's room. "We'll send someone to wake you up tomorrow for breakfast. Assuming you aren't already up of course."

With an incline of his head that Milan took as a nod of thanks, Zabuza took a step into his quarters for the night before he was stopped one last time. "Zabuza, my boy."

"Yes?" He grunted, ignoring the good humor in Milan's eyes.

"Thank you. It means quite a lot to me that you talked to Klara."

"Not a problem..."

"Good, good. Now to bed, and I shall see you in the morning." With that the old man was off, leaving Zabuza in an unfamiliar room in a freezing hell hole of a country.

_Could be worse._ _It could always be worse. _He reassured himself as he began to check for surveillance devices. He trusted Milan, he just didn't trust some of the people who worked for Milan that wouldn't be tempted to peak in on him. He needed time to think, and needed to do it in peace and quiet, without his nerves screaming at him that their was a transmitter in the mattress.

He was presented with an opportunity here. An S-rank opportunity if she was to be believed, and even if she wasn't, Zabuza was more than happy to welcome a former shinobi into his midst. He might have to train her up if she was lying about Akatsuki, but she had too many stories of Kisame, and spoke of him with too much familiarity to be lying. Even if she wasn't Akatsuki, being a former shinobi meant he wouldn't have to train her in senjutsu, so much as show her how it worked, and let her go from there.

He only needed to figure out the best way to work the deal. Should he present it as an offer for her to regain her lost powers? Would that even matter to her? Zabuza had long since learned the power of loyalty, of people who serve you because they want to, rather than because they are forced to. He only need think of a way to earn Konan's loyalty.

A task that was best accomplished staring at the ceiling, going through the past few hours conversations and brainstorming what he could offer her that might be of interest. Thinking of all the possibilities that lay before into the late hours of the morning, until he heard a soft click, like a window latch being opened a floor away and the sound of foot prints, far too many to be the household staff.

Zabuza sat up and stalked to the door. Instincts telling him to keep low, and quiet as he slipped into the hallways. Something was up, now he only needed to find out what.

**AN: **So, another chapter done. On a semi-related note, anyone seen this weeks episode of RWBY? My lord, that was a thing. If anyone wants to chat spoilers and stuff, send me a pm because I'm still freaking out about it. Anyways, Konan and Zabuza had a sit down. Nothing conclusive, just that Konan doesn't seem to mind Zabuza's presence, and after the few weeks surrounded by his adored fanatics, Zabuza is enjoying the more solitary company. I am not going to use the term love at all for the current situation, mostly just pleasantly surprised at the fact they hit it off. Cause I think Zabuza was right, they have a surprising amount of things in common that'll get explored as the story goes on. And for the complaints that neither would open up like that, you are probably correct, but justification is that while Zabuza had Haku and the twins, Konan's been stuck in Russian with noone. She's had noone to talk about her past life. Hella lonely and such, with other things going on. Which will again, hopefully be explored in future chapters.

Anyways, I'm trying to get into the habit of writing more. So that means more one shots (I swear to god, I am going get Barragan the recognition he deserves, or so help me. Or more romance fluff stuff. One of the two), and hopefully more chapters frequently. I'm pretty sure 1 chapter in a year is unacceptable, and I still don't know why the Devour fans haven't strung me up yet like the traitor I am. Until then, mild cliff-hangar. And hope you enjoyed the chapter, comments, reviews and all things are welcome. Hope to see you next time, and have a good day ^.^


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